Chico State Tests Robot Dogs With Dairy Cows
Researchers at Chico State introduced robot dogs to the university's dairy pasture as part of a study on virtual fencing for cattle.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Veterinary Medicine
Chico State researchers introduced robot dogs named BAM to the university's dairy pasture, where cows are meeting the machines for only the second time. The project studies GPS-enabled virtual fencing collars and is funded by a $40,000 CSU grant.
Why it matters
The research aims to make cows comfortable around robots so scientists can observe natural behavior without a person present. For Chico residents, the work is a local look at how agricultural technology is being studied at the university farm.
The project is funded by a $40,000 CSU grant and will equip all 80 cows in the herd with GPS-enabled collars. Some cows approached the robot dogs closely while others backed away, and researchers are recording behavior with 360 cameras.
The players
Chico State University
California State University, Chico is a public university in Chico, California, whose farm hosts the dairy pasture where the robot dog study is taking place.
Lima
Lima is the researcher leading the robot dog and virtual fencing project at Chico State, who previously worked with robotic technology on beef cattle in Illinois.
The details
Researchers are testing virtual fencing, in which boundaries are drawn and the collared animal stays within them. Students are participating in the research and collecting data, and the work builds on earlier robotic cattle research led by Lima in Illinois.
Timeline
Lima first tested robotic technology on beef cattle in Illinois before the Chico project.
Robot dogs were introduced to the dairy pasture at Chico State on November 6, 2026.
Culture Shift
The Chico project extends GPS-enabled virtual fencing collars into a dairy herd paired with robot dogs, a combination aimed at observing cows without a human present. It follows Lima's earlier robotic work on beef cattle in Illinois.
Chico residents near the university farm may see the robot dogs and collared cows as part of the ongoing research. Paid undergraduate student researchers are participating in the study and collecting data.
The takeaway
Research like this shows how technology such as virtual fencing may one day change how livestock are managed, with animal comfort around machines as a key step. Readers interested in the work can follow how Chico State reports the project's findings as data is collected.
Further reading
For more on animal care research, explore Veterinary Medicine coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Action News Now.
