A prototype early warning system created by The University of Northampton researchers to detect lameness in sheep has featured on the BBC’s The One Show.
Problematic
Often caused by contagious diseases, lameness can result in poor growth, infertility and even death if left untreated, with the estimated cost to the UK farming industry in the region of £80 million a year.
Detecting a pattern
Associate Professor in computing Dr Al-Sherbaz said: “Our ‘early warning system’ shows real promise. Infected sheep have a characteristic limp, so we decided the best way to detect it remotely was to develop a wearable sensor.”
Smartphones proved to be the perfect data collectors for this, due to the plethora of built-in sensors.
The trio, along with PhD student Zainab Al-Rubaye, have designed software that can distinguish between healthy and lame sheep using the data collected from the phones.
Bespoke sensor
Fellow Associate Professor Dr Turner said: “Now we know we can tell the difference, the next step is to build the software into a bespoke sensor that will automatically alert the farm when a sheep starts to limp.”
The team now hopes to find a commercial partner to miniaturise and produce the sensor to a scale that is economically viable.
All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon
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