The tradition dates back to the Old West: A cowboy gently soothes his cattle with a simple song.

“Come on girls, let’s go,” the cowboy croons as he gathers his bovines from across the desert range. One day, that cowboy may not have to ride the range to corral his herd.

The “cowboy” is U.S. agency of Agriculture researcher Dean M. Anderson, who is working to corral cattle remotely through a high-tech device that funnels sounds directly to the animals.

It’s Old West cattle herding with a 21st century twist — part of a project involving the USDA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the government’s Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico.

The wireless headset, called the “Ear-A-Round,” has stereo earphones that transmit sounds directly into the cow’s ears to guide its movement. Powered by a small solar energy panel, the unit contains a GPS device to monitor a cow’s […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News