Automated machinery has become an integral part of modern dairy farm operations, using notification sounds to alert farmers to emergencies or inform them of ongoing actions. While these sounds are intended to enhance safety and improve user experience, they are often perceived as confusing and unpleasant by farmers, leading some to disable the audio system entirely, thereby compromising safety. This project seeks to develop a sound design framework and a set of notification sounds that prioritise the safety and well-being of both humans and their cattle.

Focusing on the robots developed by Lely, an innovative company in the agricultural sector, this project explores the role of sound in enhancing user feedback for dairy farm robots. Through literature research, the perception of sound from both human and cow perspectives was examined, alongside relevant sonic interaction methods. Interviews with Lely’s product development and safety teams helped map out current notification sounds and identify safety guidelines for sound use. Technical sound design guidelines were then developed.

Interviews with dairy farmers and visits to farms revealed six key issues: the unclear meaning of the notification sounds, the inability to identify the robots by their sound, the perceived unpleasantness, the disturbance to neighbours, the inaudibility, and the lack of guidelines for the use and creation of notification sounds. To address these issues, sonification techniques were utilised to develop new sounds, which were iteratively tested and refined based on user feedback.

The final design includes a concise set of notification sounds, along with a sound design framework that includes guidelines for the development of new notification sounds for future Lely robots. The sounds are designed to be intuitive, pleasant, and clearly audible over barn noise while avoiding disruption to neighbours. Each robot has been given a distinct voice to allow the user to differentiate the robots based on their sound. Solutions were also proposed to minimise sound levels and the occurrence of sound inside the barn. This project addresses a significant but overlooked issue in dairy farm operations, offering a design that meets safety, usability, and environmental criteria. However, further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of these notification sounds.