The future of ranching might rumble across Wyoming's sagebrush on tank tracks, equipped with cameras and sensors instead of spurs and lassos.
At Mississippi State University, researcher Marcus McGee has been testing a 4-foot-by-4-foot robotic platform called the Warthog that can herd cattle with surprising effectiveness.
The results from his trials at the university's Bearden Dairy Research Center suggest that autonomous herding technology could soon supplement traditional cowboys and sheepherders.
"This is not replacing the human aspect of livestock agriculture," McGee told Cowboy State Daily. "This is purely utilized as a workforce multiplier."
But the assistant clinical professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences acknowledged the broader implications of his work.
"Everything comes down to trying to make it think more like a cowboy,” he said.
The Warthog, manufactured by Clearpath Robotics, serves as a platform for an array of sensors and computing power that can collect continuous data while moving animals. McGee's 2023 research showed that cattle responded remarkably well to the robotic herder.
"To our surprise, the animals were calm around the Warthog and behaved the same way they would around a person on horseback or driving a four-wheeler," McGee reported. "Young calves don't have the strong herd instinct that mature animals do, but we saw that in the presence of the robot, these calves moved along like a herd—not scurrying in fear but loping along together."
While McGee's current work focuses on dairy cattle, he sees broader applications.
"I would love to apply this to beef cattle, because when I think about it, I'm not doing this for dairy cattle. I'm using this as a model for herding animals as a whole," he says.
The researcher is particularly interested in testing the technology in challenging terrain like Wyoming’s open range. "I would love to put it in a diverse environment where you have to do some obstacle overrides to kind of get through the brush."
A Clearpath Robotics Warthog unmanned ground vehicle — aka a robot — fitted with cameras and sensors in action at a Mississippi State University research center. (Mississippi State University) 
A robot made by Cargill keeps cattle moving through this lot. (Cargill) 
A Clearpath Robotics Warthog unmanned ground vehicle — aka a robot — fitted with cameras and sensors in action at a Mississippi State University research center. (Mississippi State University) 
A Clearpath Robotics Warthog unmanned ground vehicle — aka a robot — fitted with cameras and sensors in action at a Mississippi State University research center. (Mississippi State University) 
A Clearpath Robotics Warthog unmanned ground vehicle — aka a robot — fitted with cameras and sensors in action at a Mississippi State University research center. (David Ammon, Mississippi State University)
Robot Cowboys?
Jeff Wacker, a retired futurist and senior fellow emeritus from Hewlett-Packard Labs, believes robotic cowboys could one day manage cattle in Wyoming.
His decades of experience with artificial intelligence and robotics, including developing autonomous systems for oil and gas exploration, gives him a unique perspective on the technology's potential.
"Never say never when it comes to AI or robotics," Wacker said. "That's the first lesson that most people can't seem to learn — they'll say 'it'll never do that.' And the answer is never say never."
Wacker described what futurists call "the spike" or "event horizon" — the point where AI development accelerates exponentially.
"Before it goes exponential, humans are programming AI. When AI starts programming AI, it does so in computer generations, not human generations," he explains. While humans work in 20-year generations, AI can iterate in microseconds.
The former HP researcher draws from his own experience developing robotic systems for harsh environments. His team created autonomous platforms that could traverse desert terrain to plant seismic sensors for oil exploration, replacing human workers called “juggies” who previously had to manually place equipment with sledgehammers.
"I'll build you a robot horse, and then I'll have a robot wrangler on the robot horse," Wacker said. "Seriously, there is no end to what we can do."
However, he acknowledges economic realities.
"If it cost me $50,000 to build a robot shepherd, economics aren't there. I can still hire some kid out of high school, and they will probably do a better job than robots."
There’s also the relationship sheep and cattle develop with humans and other living things they encounter out on the range.
"They're used to a humanoid master,” said Wacker. “If I could, I could make a rugged terrain robot, probably on little tank tracks. And I could send them out there, but they better damn well look human, because that's what the animals see and respect.”
When developing this technology, Wacker thinks researchers should consider, “What will the cattle and the sheep think? Seriously, they can recognize a wolf or a man on a horse."
Digital Ranching
The technological transformation is already underway on Wyoming ranches.
Mark Eisele, former president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association who operates the King Ranch outside Cheyenne, has witnessed firsthand how digital tools are revolutionizing livestock management.
Three weeks ago, his daughter Kendall, who manages the family ranch, called with urgent news while monitoring cattle through an app on her phone.
"Dad, I think we've got three calves out of this pasture," she reported, watching GPS-tagged animals on her screen. "Before we could finish the conversation, she says, 'No, now there's seven. No, now there's 11. I think you have an open gate. You need to get there right now.'"
Eisele rushed to the pasture and found exactly what his daughter had predicted — an open gate allowing cattle to wander into the wrong area.
"Otherwise that whole herd would have been out in the wrong pasture, and we would have spent the next day gathering them up," he said
Kendall, now in her mid-30s, represents a new generation of ranchers embracing technology.
"Young people are adapting this technology quicker and faster because it's difficult to find actual labor that's able to do the job or trained to do the job," Eisele noted.
The rancher has seen similar innovations in feedlots, where systems use what he describes as "facial recognition software adapted for motion" to detect lameness in cattle by analyzing their gait.
When Eisele discusses robotic herders with traditional cowboys, their response is predictable: "Ain't no way they can replace a cowboy and a rope," he recounted.
“Back to the cowboy question, if it's possible. Yeah. The potential for the cowboy robot. Yeah, it's got to be a reality,” Eisele added.
A robot with a sensor on top keeps these cows fed, automatically roving up and down the line while pushing the feed within reach. (Wayne Hutchinson via Alamy) 
Mississippi State University researchers follow an agricultural drone as it tends to a corn field. (Dominique Belcher, Mississippi State University)
International Development
The concept isn't confined to American research labs. In Australia, researchers at the University of Sydney have developed SwagBot, an AI-powered robot that has shown promising results in cattle management. According to Reuters coverage of the project, "once the cattle are used to the robot, they will follow the robot around."
SwagBot, first launched in 2016 as a simple herding robot, now incorporates sensors and AI learning to autonomously move cattle to optimal grazing areas. The robot can assess “the type and density of pastures and even keep an eye on the cow's health," helping prevent overgrazing that can degrade soil quality.
The Australian innovation addresses challenges familiar to American ranchers: labor shortages, environmental concerns, and the need for more efficient livestock management in vast, remote areas.
Robot Ralphie?
While no one is currently developing robotic cattle or sheep, the concept of replacing live animals with mechanical alternatives has gained traction in an unexpected arena.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently offered to help fund an animatronic replacement for the University of Colorado Boulder's live bison mascot named Ralphie.
"PETA is calling on CU Boulder to put these cruel sideline spectacles out to pasture and dazzle fans with a state-of-the-art robotic ruminant instead," the organization announced on Aug. 29. While the proposal addresses animal welfare rather than agricultural efficiency, it demonstrates the advancing sophistication of animatronic technology.
If a future “Robot Ralphie” ever appears on the sideline of a CU football game, it will only have to navigate the flat and relatively smooth turf on the field.
For cowboys chasing cattle, the Wyoming landscape presents all kinds of physical challenges.
So when future robot cowboys ride robot horses, said Wacker, applying the informed imagination of a futurist, “There's no reason to limit them. There probably would be 4 to 6 legs, so that they can go over rocky ground and move well."
Contact David Madison at david@cowboystatedaily.com
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
