Some enterprising researchers in Australia have decided to use GPS to update the old concept of electrified collars to control boundaries, according to the Guardian:

The system uses battery-powered collars that emit a sound to warn cattle when they are approaching a virtual boundary. If a cow wanders too near, the collar – which is fitted with a chip – emits a warning hum. If it continues, the cow gets a mild shock.

The key to the description is the “battery-powered” part. What century is this? Battery-powered? Come now, surely there is a renewable energy source like solar cells, or maybe even methane gas, to run these tags.

Commercial versions are up to 10 years away. The batteries currently last about a week and would need to have a life of several months to be practical.

Hmmm, as if batteries are going to be a relevant source of power ten years from today. And what is with the week to several months progress curve? Talk about low expectations.

Dr Fisher said that experiments, conducted in front of independent animal welfare experts, showed that cattle took less than an hour to learn to back off when they heard the warning hum. They were not stressed by wearing the collars, which give off a 250-milliwatts shock that has been described as not much more than the charge from static electricity.

Cow tipping may have to give way to cow humming. How long will it take humans to learn not to step past a point that gives them a static charge?