An Austrailian research effort called FutureDairy has developed milking robots specially designed for free range cows. Based on European milking machines, which release themselves from a cow but can't attach automatically, these new suction cups can autonomously locate and affix themselves. Lasers record a cow's unique udder configuration and detect it whenever a trained cow visits a milking shed to relieve itself. Each cow's milking frequency, including schedule and amount of milk produced is monitored and reported where farmers can interpret the data to maximize output and maintain healthy conditions.

Read the article. (National Geographic)
Learn how to milk cows. (DairyBiz)