Robot For Hog Producers

Robot For Hog Producers LIVESTOCK Hogs (33) 24-5-29 There's been a lot of talk about cow-milking robots in recent years. Now a South Dakota company has introduced a robot for hog producers. The "Boar Bot" is a 4-WD remote control robot designed to move boars around any hog gestation or farrowing building. It measures about 19 1/2 in. wide and 30 in. high and weighs just over 500 lbs. It's driven by a pair of high torque 24-volt DC electric motors and is geared to travel at 1.6 ft. per second, which is a slow walk for most animals. The unit is designed to control the boar during artificial insemination and can lead or pull the boar virtually anywhere in the barn. The sight of the boar stimulates the sows, allowing you to tell which ones are in heat and therefore ready to be artificially inseminated. The unit guides the boar by means of a tether attached to a harness that's fitted on the boar. A handheld transmitter is used to steer the unit left or right and forward or backward. The idea was the brain child of Jerome Mack, a Leola, S. Dak., hog producer who wanted a way to move boars without the help of others. He went to South Dakota State University, where three ag engineering students designed the unit. They won first place in a senior design contest at SDSU. They also took second place in the national design conference of the American Society of Ag Engineers. Mack then formed his own company and now manufactures the unit. "It reduces labor and makes handling boars a much safer job," says Mack. "Once the boar is attached to the Boar Bot, workers can always stay a safe distance from the boar. It has a surprising amount of power and can pull a 500-lb. boar with no problem. It steers like a skid steer loader. A guard on top of the unit keeps the boar from jumping over the top. I came up with the idea because I found that handling the boar was inefficient and at times unsafe. The job took two or even three people û one or two to lead, position, and handle the boar followed by an artificial insemination (AI) technician. I wanted to turn that process into a one-man operation. With the Boar Bot, the AI technician can move the boar by himself." Two 12-volt deep cell batteries are used to power the two 24-volt motors for up to eight hours of continuous use. On-board chargers keep the batteries fresh whenever you're not using the Boar Boat. Several attachments are available for the Boar Bot. A "boar hearse" is used to haul dead animals out of the building. It winches the animal vertically up against a pair of tall plastic boards. A power broom is designed to be pulled behind the Boar Bot and can be used to sweep feed into the trough. A pair of levers on back are used to raise or lower the machine in order to get the correct downward pressure on the broom. The Boar Bot is sold in two models: The 500-lb. model which sells for $5,250 and a 375-lb. model that sells $4,999. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Swine Robotics, Inc., 10858 365th Ave., Leola, S. Dak. 57456 (ph 605 439-3227 or 3510; fax 5305).

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