Development of an Autonomous Robotic cow Cubicle bedding unit (AG ARC)

A robotic unit will autonomously navigate dairy sheds, monitor moisture and temperature on cow cubicle beds, and dispense fresh bedding as needed. This matters because environmental mastitis — a painful udder infection in dairy cows — thrives in damp, dirty bedding. Current bedding routines are labour-intensive and inconsistent, leaving cows lying on wet surfaces that harbour bacteria. The robot replaces guesswork with real-time sensor data, targeting bedding only where and when it is needed. If successful, the AG ARC unit could reduce mastitis rates without increasing antibiotic use, improving both animal welfare and milk quality. For dairy farmers, it means fewer veterinary costs and less manual labour in a sector already struggling with staffing shortages. For the wider public, it quietly strengthens the reliability of the milk supply chain — fewer infections mean fewer cows culled and less milk discarded. The technology also demonstrates how autonomous systems can solve routine agricultural problems, potentially extending to other livestock monitoring tasks.