Cattle Herding Drones Complete First Live Demonstration

SkyKelpie, an Australian company creating agricultural drones to herd cattle, has completed the first live demonstration of its tech, live-streaming aerial footage of its drone mustering cattle.

The tech was showcased at the Beef2024 cattle exhibition in Queensland, Australia.

SkyKelpie CEO Luke Chaplain, writing on LinkedIn, said the company teamed up with Hover UAV for the demo.

“SkyKelpie now has over 100,000 head of livestock being drone-mustered by customers who have become confident and capable through our technology, training and expert advice. And we haven't properly launched yet!” Chaplain wrote.

“We have some exciting announcements coming soon. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.”

Launched in 2022, SkyKelpie was established to develop drones for “drone mustering and aerial stockmanship,” according to its website, enabling users to control these drones from anywhere.

The company’s product range now includes a docking and charging station for the drones, which autonomously land and take off from the station according to a pre-programmed schedule.

Training modules on herding methods for different terrains and species and piloting techniques are also available for customers to watch before deploying the drones. 

The company is partially funded by Meat & Livestock Australia and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

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