Model cow makes it real for trainees

A Waikato innovation - an artificial cow simulator - aimed at helping artificial breeding (AB) technicians has entered the field with massive success.

Training success rates for new technicians has risen from 55 per cent to nearly 90 per cent using the 'cow'.

The Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), which commissioned the work, has roughly 900 AB technicians in the field and general manager Andrew Fear said it was crucial to the industry that the nation's herd of five million were brought to calf at the right time with the best genetics.

LIC employs just over half of all AB technicians in the country.

"Every year we have to train new technicians and having a training aid has been really good for pass rates."

There are currently six artificial cows in the South Island and eight in the North, and Mr Fear said initial results indicated this would transfer over to better artificial insemination results.

The invention has already garnered interest abroad, but Mr Fear said LIC were unwilling to make any rash decisions.

"Right now it gives us a big advantage. We've always had the best work force out there but this gets us to the next level," he said.

"A lot of the cost is the intellectual property. How much is that worth? If I were to sell this overseas it would be for a lot."

Mr Fear said the company had looked around the world to see what other training aids were available but they couldn't find anything appropriate.

"It's the little things like having a tail - we could have not had a tail, but in real life there will be one. So we contacted Mike and got to work."

MWDesign design director Mike Williams said it took three years before the simulator was ready.

"There's a lot of trialling and mucking around."

Not only does the simulator feel like the real thing, it also allows for a number of adjustments which allows testers to manipulate the cow's inners, so every time it feel like a different cow.

The efforts to achieve realism that Mr Williams had gone to was impressive, including heating the apparatus to body temperature, simulated excrement and a 'barreling button' which can be pressed by the examiner if a trainee fumbles about for too long and simulates the actions a real cow would take, which are often unpleasant.

Mr Williams even approached a perfumer to simulate the smell.

"I do have some poo smell in a bottle but that was too far and I was told to throttle back on that one," he said.

Mr Williams said the competition included an American creation that failed to fit the bill and the Breed'n Betsy from Australia, which used leftovers from freezing works in a fish tank type apparatus.

The simulator comes in a range of different colours, and even has see-through observations panels so examiners can watch the technicians to evaluate their technique. Mr Fear said even experienced technicians were able to come back and have their technique scrutinised.

Regional artificial breeding technician operations manager Mark Te Whare gave the feel of the equipment a solid eight and a half out of 10 on realism.