How dairy robots are changing work for cows and farmers

I don't know the current state of readiness for the milking robots, but 10 years ago it was a nightmare. When a cow got blocked in the robot, the farmer get notify and stops what he is doing to check the cow and the robot. With the free access to the milking robot 24/7 it means that as a farmer you can get your phone ringing to free a cow stuck in the robot at 3 am, or when you are 20 miles away in a field. This level of stress caused many farmers to sell their milking robot and come back to two milking sessions a day, typically 6 am and 6 pm.

I imagine it's gotten better with newer generations, but your point's a good reminder that "automation" doesn’t always mean "less work"

The ironies of automation, a remarkably well studied topic.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironies_of_Automation

- https://www.complexcognition.co.uk/2021/06/ironies-of-automa...