Use of robotic cow milking: A review

Abstract

This paper seeks to present and discuss some important aspects of robotic milking, in order to aid the decision of technicians and cattlemen as to whether or not they should adopt this technology. A systematic revision was made on the web databases Isi Web of Science, Scopus and Scielo, searching for papers published in English and Portuguese, using as key-words: Robotic milking and Ordenha Robotizada. Among the 52 papers found none was Brazilian, rather most were from the European continent. Initially, we provide a brief historical sketch of the history of robotic milking. Other aspects included are principles of operation, milking frequency, milk production, milk quality, milking time, and planning.