Work on developing a Belarusian robotic milking system is progressing slowly, judging by remarks made by Aliaksandr Lukashenka during a visit to Brest.
“Karankevich (Deputy Prime Minister — ed.) still can’t build a robot together with Predko (director general of Horizont — ed.). They just keep dragging their feet. God willing, by the end of the year, with your help, they’ll finally make something,” Lukashenka said, addressing Piotr Parkhomchyk, chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee.
A mock-up of the robotic milking system was presented to Lukashenka during his visit to Horizont on the last day of last year. Video footage showed a life-size cardboard cutout of a cow next to a manipulator resembling an industrial robot, apparently intended to attach milking cups to the udder. None of the other equipment typically found in robotic milking systems was on display.
At the time, Lukashenka’s press service said the company had presented a mock-up of an automated milking unit based on a robotic manipulator with artificial intelligence elements. It noted that “the product is not yet ready for mass production, but work is underway.”
Judging by Lukashenka’s latest remarks, however, that work does not appear to be progressing as expected.
