While automation in China’s livestock industry is gradually advancing, critical challenges remain — including complex herd management, high labor costs, and low milking efficiency. As the sector moves toward intelligent automation and “machine replacement of labor,” robotic milking systems are poised to become a central pillar of future dairy farm operations.

Currently, most domestic farms rely on expensive imported robotic milking systems. A single fully automated setup can cost well over a million yuan, with prices doubling for multi-station or rotary systems. Such high costs have deterred widespread adoption, leaving many farms unable to deploy the technology.

Beyond equipment costs, the precision and reliability of the milking process itself is paramount. In addition to milking, robotic systems must handle tasks like teat cleaning and disinfection. The core technical challenge lies in accurately and rapidly locating the cow’s teats in 3D space so the milking cups can connect swiftly and safely. If the system fails to precisely track the cow’s teats — especially when the animal moves slightly — the process not only slows down and reduces milk quality, but also risks injuring the cow.

Currently, most automated milking systems from international suppliers use line-laser based sensors to detect teat position. However, this approach often fails to meet the demands of dynamic, real-world farm conditions. To overcome this, Vizum has innovatively applied its visible-light stereo vision technology to the automated milking process, enabling true intelligent automation.

At the heart of this system is Vizum ’s proprietary 3D Smart Eye, developed using its “Natural Learning®” AI architecture. Utilizing binocular stereo vision in the visible light spectrum, the 3D Smart Eye can quickly and accurately identify the spatial location of cow teats.

When mounted on milking equipment, the system delivers sub-millimeter accuracy (up to 0.5 mm within a 1-meter range) and streams high-precision positioning data at 10 frames per second. Each data frame includes 3D spatial coordinates and directional vectors for each teat, enabling fast, precise alignment of the milking cups.

By integrating Vizum ’s stereo vision system, automated milking equipment gains key advantages: high precision, high speed, intelligent operation, and reduced costs. The solution not only reduces the need for manual labor and boosts productivity and milk yield, but also offers a viable and superior alternative to costly imported systems — positioning it as a game-changer for China’s dairy industry.

Vizum is already partnering with several livestock machinery anufacturers and dairy farms to jointly develop and deploy this technology across the industry. By embedding 3D vision at the core of milking automation, the company is helping accelerate the modernization of China’s livestock sector — making a meaningful contribution to the goals of “Made in China 2025.”