Greensburg Salem grad's robotic farmhand keeps cattle fed
Jun. 12—If Brad Carr has his way, the time-consuming chore of feeding farm animals will be a thing of the past.
For his recent senior project, the 2021 Greensburg Salem High School graduate created and programmed a prototype robot to automatically handle that task twice a day at his grandparents' Lone Oak Farm dairy farm in Salem, just down the road from his house.
"Automation is the future," said Carr, who participated in the robotics engineering program at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center and, in the fall, will begin studies in electromechanical engineering, with a minor in agriculture, at Penn State's New Kensington campus. "In fact, it's already here now. It's going to be a big step in our society's advancement.
"Some people don't like it, but I love it. It's helping us, so I'm trying to push it."
Carr calculated his robot, if fully developed, could annually save 540 man-hours and more than $5,600 in labor costs that are devoted to feeding cows at his family's farm.
With support from sponsors Graham Dairy Supply and Hildenbrand Lime and Fertilizer, Carr developed his prototype — dubbed BR-7, for "Brad's replacement" — at 1/12th-scale, for a cost of $500.
Topped by a plastic hopper that can hold 2 gallons of grain pellets or other feed for livestock, the robot can be programmed to leave its docking station at selected times each day. Powered by a rechargeable battery and equipped with infrared sensors, it rolls along, spreading a line of feed along the barn enclosure where calves poke their heads out to get their fill.
Carr used modeling software to design the robot and a 3-D printer to produce many of the unit's 39 parts.
His ingenuity comes as no surprise to his grandmother, Marilyn Carr. "He's very good at repairing things on the farm," she said.
Brad Carr turned to a cousin, who has a CNC (computerized numerical control) machine, to cut some of the parts for his device and to help with the programming.
"The programming was one of the biggest struggles I had," Carr said of his robot. "That was a rather big step for me. It can learn how to do a task and react to a situation."
As he looks into obtaining a patent for his robot design, Carr hopes to construct a more practical, full-size version that could hold 24 gallons of feed.
Substituting metal parts for plastic, his goal is to turn out the larger version for under $5,000.
It's something he hopes to work on this summer, between farm chores and his second passion after robotics — competing in motocross.
Carr credits an uncle with fueling his interest in electronics.
"Then, when I started going to CWCTC for robotics, I got into it a little bit deeper and really started to like it," Carr said. "I started to see other farms bringing in (automated) technology, and it's what I was doing every day at school."
Drawing on his experience in farming and his growing interest in robotics, he said, "I wanted to mash everything together."
To remain competitive as a dairy supplier, the Carrs need to expand their operation, he said.
To that end, the family is planning to build an additional barn and buy more calves, which would grow the number of Holstein cows it is milking from about 250 to close to 500.
One of the decisions before them is what level of automation will be included in the new barn's design. Carr hopes the older generations of his family will take the bull by the horns and opt for extensive automation that would track each cow's movements throughout the barn while regulating most aspects of their care.
"It's not a question for me," Carr said of the technology. "Put it in."
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
