Historical and Analytical Assessment of Automation and Robotization for Milking Processes

Abstract

The paper shows the main ways of machine technology development from manual milking to robotic and notes the ambiguity of expert assessments regarding the introduction of robotic milking. (Research purpose) To conduct historical, analytical and feasibility studies of various options for automating cow milking on dairy farms, to determine the overall capital intensity of various options for the transition from manual to automated and robotic cow milking technologies, as well as the capital intensity of individual transition stages such as mechanized bucket milking, pipeline milking, automated milking in milking parlors, robotic milking in individual boxes and milking parlors. (Materials and methods) The paper analyzes the revolutionary transitions associated with a drastic change in technology, a change in the way of keeping cows and a change in the organizational and economic forms of operations; the modernization transitions, those with a complete or partial replacement of equipment but without a fundamental change in technology; and the reverse transfer transitions - a forced return to the previous more economical technology. (Results and discussion) We considered 7 main ways of developing machine milking over 100-110 years from the manual milking method to the automated and robotic ones. It is determined that their total estimated capital intensity for a hypothetical reference farm per 1000 heads accounts for 78.0-474.5 million rubles in modern figures. The concept of a standardized unit is introduced, that is equal to the price of the DAS-2V milking unit, that is, approximately 0.2 million rubles at the moment. (Conclusions) The research reveals the most costly transition ways, the optimal least capital-intensive way of transition from traditional milking to automated quarter-by-quarter milking in parlors, whose functionality is up to the robotic milking.The modernization transition to robotic milking in parlors is proved to be possible by gradual replacement of the automated milking manipulators controlled by an operator with the robotic unmanned manipulators and without any changes in technology.