AI assisted livestock monitor
Solution summary
Based on research, we identified that around 50% of piglet deaths occur due to crushing by the mother, regardless of the farrowing system used. From personal observations on small farms, we also noticed that farmers cannot monitor their animals 24/7, which leads to preventable incidents especially during birthing.
To address this, we propose an AI-powered livestock monitoring system, focused mainly on cows and pigs, to reduce avoidable deaths, detect health issues early, and improve farm efficiency.
The system uses CCTV or thermal/IR cameras combined with machine learning models to detect:
- Early signs of birthing (calving/farrowing detection)
- Temperature and behavior changes that may indicate sickness
- Piglet-crushing risks, by detecting when a sow lies down in a dangerous way
Solution details
The solution consists of:
- A CCTV or thermal camera installed in the animal's pen
- A Raspberry Pi device running a trained ML model
- Custom-trained models using publicly available datasets and newly collected data from small farms
- Labeled behavioral scenarios such as standing, sitting, restlessness before birth, and unsafe lying positions
The Raspberry Pi processes the camera feed in real time and communicates with a mobile application that provides:
- Live video streaming
- Instant notifications when risky behaviors or birthing signs are detected
For piglet-crushing prevention, the system can be extended with light and sound alerts, which activate when a dangerous lying position is detected and encourage the sow to stand up.
Catchy explanation:
We're building an AI assisted livestock monitor that watches animals when farmers can't. Using cameras and smart behavioral detection, it spots early birthing signs, sickness, and piglet-crushing risks in real time. The system sends instant phone alerts—or triggers light and sound—to prevent avoidable deaths and keep animals safer.
Thank you very much for your understanding and support. If there is any additional information you need from me, please do not hesitate to contact me.
