SYDNEY, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A new Australian invention known as the Lambulance, combining drone and infrared technology, could monitor sheep in their paddocks and alert farmers to any potential abnormalities.
Lambulance co-creator Andrew Bailey told Xinhua on Tuesday that flocks can be monitored for disease, abnormal behavior or environmental threats automatically, and the information will be delivered to farmers, potentially preventing the deaths of many young sheep.
While the system is still under development, Bailey said the current setup, consisting of a drone and infrared camera, will eventually be paired with software to analyse footage to provide farmers with comprehensive feedback.
"Based on the heat signatures of the animals we'll be able to make an assessment of the state of the lambs and also the ewes and also get other information about what else is in the paddock that may be of concern," Bailey said.
"In Australia there could be foxes or dogs in the paddock, but also natural environmental issues -- an animal may have walked into a part of the paddock where it's going to get itself trapped."
Every year, lamb death constitutes a significant loss of revenue for the industry.
Additionally, in the spirit of 21st century farming, Bailey intends for the drone to be automatically piloted, meaning graziers will not have to be present while assessments are taking place.
"We're setting it up so that the farmer doesn't need this technical skill - it's a fairly sophisticated piece of equipment, and you need flying skills as well, so most of this will be automated," Bailey said.
The drone will also be able to lead farmers to animals in need by flying to their location and hovering until help arrives.
"That may sound trivial, but if it's in bush country or thick bracken where visually you can't see where that animal is hiding, to actually have something right above it actually saves you a lot of time," Bailey said.
The project is currently seeking investors and is hoped to be in commercial use within the next 12 months.
