Friday, March 2, 2012

'Smart cows' can text owners when mooood strikes

'Smart cows' can text owners when mooood strikes | Cutting Edge - CNET News CNET News @import "http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/Ads/common/css/SponsoredTextLink/sponsoredTextLink.live.css"; Manage Packages With UPS My Choice Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops E-book Readers Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Storage Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting You are here: News Latest News Mobile Startups Cutting Edge Media Security Business Tech Health Tech Crave Apple Microsoft Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Blogs Video Photos RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps The Download Blog CNET TV How To Computers Home Theater Smartphones Tablets Web Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}Click Here
CNET News Cutting Edge 'Smart cows' can text owners when mooood strikes Martin LaMonica by Martin LaMonica February 22, 2012 7:46 AM PST Follow @mlamonica

A U.K. research project will equip dairy cows with the same sensor used inWii controllers to alert farmers by text if they're getting sick or they're, um, in heat.

A dairy cow equipped with a smart collar and wireless sensor can detect head position and notify its farmer via text.A dairy cow equipped with a smart collar and wireless sensor can detect head position and notify its farmer via text.

(Credit:University of Strathclyde)

You may have heard of the Internet of things. Now researchers in the U.K. are trying to build the Internet of animals.

The University of Strathclyde has begun a $2.2 million project to equip cows with a "smart collar" that will allow their owners to keep tabs on them via cell phone.

The collar uses the same 3D sensor found in Wii video game controllers to detect shifts in the cow's head position. The data is then sent wirelessly over the cell phone network or a local network.

Related storiesSmart tag lets you print electronics on plasticIBM: 'Internet of things' will improve infrastructure>A smart power outlet goes industrial

When a cow lowers its head, it's a sign of possible illness. The sensor can also detect when a cow is coming into heat, which would allow farmers to optimize insemination. Researchers expect farmers would be notified by a text.

"This technology can help secure [the future of farming] by allowing farmers to monitor the health conditions of individual cows far more easily and accurately. Not only can this development help to save the farmer money, it can also help to keep food affordable," David Evans, the head of agriculture at British food retailer Morrisons, said in a statement.

The sensor system will collect data that can be analyzed in a decision-support tool. Over time, it can be used to keep track of livestock through the food chain, said Annette MacDougall, the CEO of Embedded Technology Solutions, a spin-out company from the University of Strathclyde.

Posted by Ambar jaiswal at 6:27 PM
Labels: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)