A dairy cow steps through a small metal gate toward a bucket of food. As the cows grabs some feed, a gate slowly closes behind it and a machine whirs to life.

A robotic arm moves underneath the unbothered cow. A camera in the arm uses pictures to create 3D renderings while a burst of water and disinfectant cleans and coats the cow’s udders. Soon, it begins milking the cow through the use of the imaging while monitoring the animal’s health.

When it’s done, the gate opens and the cow walks out.

This is the future of Maine’s dairy industry and it’s all on display at University of Maine’s J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center in Old Town.

Robotic milking has been used in America since 2000, but this is just the third robotic milking barn of its kind in Maine . The barn allows cow

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