Ricard, E. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2022

Automated detection of sow posture changes with millimeter-wave radars and deep learning

Automated behavioural monitoring is increasingly required for animal welfare and precision agriculture. In pig farming, detailed analyses of sow activity are essential to identify and reduce the risks of piglets being crushed during postural changes of their mothers. Here we introduce a new, non-invasive, fast and accurate method for monitoring sow behaviour based on millimeter-wave radars and deep learning analysis. We used our method to predict postural changes in crated sows and distinguish the dangerous one that lie down abruptly from those that lie down carefully using transient postures. Two radars were placed on a metal backing above the head and the upper part of the back of each of ten sows to monitor their activity during 5 hours. We analysed the radar data with a convolutional neural network and identified five postures. The average sensitivity was 96.9% for standing, 90.8% for lying, 91.4% for nursing, 87.6% for sitting, but only 11.9% for kneeling. However, the average specificity and accuracy were greater than 92% for the five postures. Interestingly, two of the ten sows occasionally moved directly from standing to lying, without using the transient postures sitting and kneeling, thereby displaying risky behaviours for their piglets. Our radar-based classifier is more accurate, faster and require less memory than current computer vision approaches. Using more sows will improve the algorithm performance and facilitate future applications for large scale deployment in animal farming. HighlightsO_LIAutomated behavioural analysis is a major challenge for precision farming. C_LIO_LIWe developed automated detection of lactating sow postures with radars and deep learning. C_LIO_LIWe identified five postures, including transitions risky for the piglets. C_LIO_LIOur method is accurate, fast and requires less memory than computer vision. C_LIO_LIRadars thus hold considerable promises for high through-put recording of livestock activity. C_LI

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2020

A non-invasive radar system for automated behavioural tracking: application to sheep

Automated quantification of the behaviour of freely moving animals is increasingly needed in ethology, ecology, genetics and evolution. State-of-the-art approaches often require tags to identify animals, high computational power for data collection and processing, and are sensitive to environmental conditions, which limits their large-scale utilisation. Here we introduce a new automated tracking system based on millimetre-wave radars for real time robust and high precision monitoring of untagged animals. To validate our system, we tracked 64 sheep in a standard indoor behavioural test used for genetic selection. First, we show that the proposed radar application is faster and more accurate than conventional video and infrared tracking systems. Next, we illustrate how new behavioural estimators can be derived from the radar data to assess personality traits in sheep for behavioural phenotyping. Finally, we demonstrate that radars can be used for movement tracking at larger spatial scales, in the field, by adjusting operating frequency and radiated electromagnetic power. Millimetre-wave radars thus hold considerable promises for high-throughput recording of the behaviour of animals with various sizes and locomotor modes, in different types of environments.

animal behavior and cognition↗