For the Ekka this year UniSC was asked to demonstrate an undergraduate research project using robodogs to herd sheep.
It came about almost by chance. Rohan Ballon from the Roma Show Society saw members of our team demonstrating the robots to school students in Central Queensland.
His interest was immediate. Sheep herding, he explained, can be costly, difficult to staff and risky for working dogs.
If robodogs could take on even part of that workload, the benefits for regional operators could be significant.
This eventually led to Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) student Phillip Halloran taking on a research project to code and train the robodogs as part of his Honours program.
Supervised by Engineering (Mechatronics) senior lecturer Dr David Alonso-Caneiro, the project focused on building autonomous herding capability using sensor data and AI systems.
"The team is now testing computer vision to identify livestock in real time to provide the robot with some autonomy," Dr Alonso-Caneiro said.
"We're using a system called YOLO - You Only Look Once - which detects sheep at around ten frames per second.
"It comes pre-trained to recognise objects like sheep, and our students are developing and training the herding behaviours based on field work with sheep, cows and bulls."
He said the manual trials at properties and in arena conditions had already proven the technique viable.
"The manual trials have shown the herding to be effective - we're now working with farmers and dog trainers to collect data and determine the best system design, whether that's aerial control or a dogs'-eye view."
Word of the project reached Ekka organisers, who were keen to show what future farming tools might look like.
It didn't take them long to invite us to work alongside the professional sheepdog handlers for a series of arena demonstrations.
Over four nights, UniSC staff operated the robots in front of crowds of about 30,000 people for each show, collecting data and testing control systems in a demanding environment.
Mechatronics student Phil with Dr Alonso-Caneiro training robodogs for sheep herding at a farm in Beaudesert
Despite the success of the public demonstrations, and the in-person positive feedback, the project has attracted its share of detractors and sceptics - not uncommon when it comes to integrating technology into routine jobs, especially if it involves AI.
One of those sceptics included much-loved public figure, Farmer Dave, who chatted with Computer Science senior Lecturer Dr Erica Mealy - a self-confessed technology evangelist - on Facebook live at the Ekka.
Her view, she said, was the robodogs or tech like them were there to do the dull, dirty, dangerous or difficult tasks instead of animals or humans.
In a farm setting, this can include saving working dogs from broken legs, snake bites or exhaustion.
Farmer Dave has been breeding or training working dogs for almost 40 years.
He agreed with Erica, saying he'd never had a dog go older than 8 years because a life spent working that hard aged them quickly - like humans, they wear out.
Aside from that, it's expensive and unpredictable to train working dogs, with it costing about $20,000-$30,000. Robodogs cost about $7,000.
By the end of the conversation, Farmer Dave was open to exploring the integration of the technology in an industry that has already evolved to incorporate drones, helicopters, off-road vehicles and other modern technologies into its practises.
Not to say robodogs are a perfect solution - projects like this help us work closely with farmers and working-dog trainers to understand their needs, explore where technology can genuinely support daily farm work, and ensure we develop tools with them, not for them, while keeping animal welfare at the centre.
The interest generated at the Ekka has continued to grow.
Dr Alonso-Caneiro has since presented the work at Australia's Parliament House, industry groups have begun exploring options for further trials, Computer Science has integrated it into its curriculum and it's also spawned potential projects, including hunting fire ants, and bush-search-and rescue missions.
What began as a simple outreach activity has become a collaborative program linking teaching, research and community engagement, with ongoing relevance for animal safety, environmental management and agriculture.
For 2026, the Ekka have asked us to return. Hope to see you there.
