‍In collaboration with Betagro, researchers from CMKL and Carnegie Mellon University have been conducting research to better understand the behavior of pigs. Researchers have been able to monitor piglet’s eating, sleeping, and movement patterns, enabling farmers to evaluate the piglet’s health in a noninvasive way. With one illness capable of killing an entire stock, a more thorough health evaluation would provide farmers with additional security for their animals. Researchers hope to develop a system that will enable farmers to monitor pigs 24/7, alerting them instantly when potential piglet crushing events occur.

“We had been thinking about animal tracking and animal monitoring for a while, and we noticed that antibiotics is a big issue for animal welfare as they are quickly becoming ineffective due to overuse,” said Noh, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering. “It’s good to know quantitatively what kind of sickness the animals have.”

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