They find that the dogs follow two basic instructions which allows them to tightly reign in the sheep and move them towards a single direction. The two instructions are to (1) collect the sheep when they are loose and (2) move them forward when they are gathered.
The scientists also attached gps devices on the sheep and the dog and observed how the movements of the animals appear on screen. They also built a computer model that simulates an efficient way of herding the sheep.
Surprisingly, the two models are similar.
This discovery can help in developing applications for use by robots in activities such as crowd control, cleaning up the environment, herding of livestock, keeping animals away from sensitive areas, and collecting or guiding groups of exploring robots.
