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> They are certainly better than humans, she said, as the dogs can cover a range of 30 kilometres in a day, whereas a person could only do three kilometres. Wh
by johnchristopher 8y ago
> They are certainly better than humans, she said, as the dogs can cover a range of 30 kilometres in a day, whereas a person could only do three kilometres.
What ? Then why not put the seeds on the dog's tail ? (I am a bit suspicious of that number seeing how the masters seem to always be nearby the dogs on the photos).
Couldn't a low altitude drone be even more efficient ?
- EliRivers 8y agoI am a bit suspicious of that number seeing how the masters seem to always be nearby the dogs on the photos I suspect a strong correlation between being able to take a photo of the dog and being near the dog.
- johnchristopher 8y agoHaha, yeah :). Too bad we aren't in the future and there's no go pro to install in the dog's skull or some interactive kind of storytelling to show da-da-data in its context. :]
- craigsmansion 8y agoRange is indeed a bit ambiguous. 'Total distance covered' might be more accurate. Border Collies can be easily taught to make broad sweeps left/right and circle back, so it's really the area around the trajectory of their master that gets covered.
- dwd 8y agoBorder Collies loop out and back naturally and would seem to be part of their herding instinct - you don't need to train them to do it at all. They also tend to range a fair way from their owner if not kept in check. Especially if they have a friend to chase or follow around like these do. You need the shortcoat type for this as our one would finish the day with all the seed stuck in his own fur.
- morsch 8y agoIf they're anything like the border collies I know, the handlers can hike through the area at a leisurely pace while the dogs tirelessly run around, covering the area around the handlers. Maybe they trained them to be somewhat systematic. Small drones have a pathetic battery runtime compared to a dog. Big drones aka planes are very expensive to run.
- icebraining 8y agoWhy the tail? > (I am a bit suspicious of that number seeing how the masters seem to always be nearby the dogs on the photos). If they were far, it'd be hard to take their photo in a dense forest, no? > Couldn't a low altitude drone be even more efficient ? You'd need a dozen batteries to fly for a few hours, plus open areas to start/finish each flight, someone who knows how to operate one safely, etc.
- johnchristopher 8y ago> Why the tail? It's from the adage: when a man walks one mile, his dog runs three miles around him and the tail traveled nine miles around them.
- magicbuzz 8y agoI’ve met people on long distance hikes who could do 30km a day. 3km per day seems very little.
- antcas 8y ago3km does seem a bit low. But the dogs are covering very rugged terrain, not walking down a hiking trail.
- sandworm101 8y agoA person can only do 3km per day? Im about to walk to work..5km.
- RandomCSGeek 8y agoI guess they meant 3km through uneven ground in a forest.
- antcas 8y agoDefinitely this, 3km across rugged terrain is nothing like 3km on a sidewalk.
- sandworm101 8y agoI'm pretty sure tree planters, a common forest job, cover more than 3km in a shift.
- GW150914 8y agoDo they work for kibble?
- maxerickson 8y agoIt's usually piece work at pennies a tree.
- GW150914 8y agoThat’s rough... I think I’d actually prefer kibble!