‘Intelligent’ camera monitors calving contractions
Lely’s Zeta camera uses artificial intelligence to detect calving contractions and alert farmers to the start of calving or potential complications. File picture: Lely
An “intelligent” calving camera has won one of the innovation prizes awarded annually at EuroTier in Germany, the world’s leading trade fair for animal farming and livestock management.
The Lely Zeta allows the farmer to monitor cows, but it has an artificial intelligence-based image analysis system which identifies contractions in a cow near calving.
This enables it to send a notification when it detects the beginning of calving, and an alarm notification if its image analysis indicates complications, or if calving is taking too long.
The Zeta is placed on the ceiling of a calving pen, connected with power and internet cables, to monitor all cows in the pen, day and night.
Specialising in making dairy farmers’ lives easier, from milking to feeding and cleaning, Lely International says its AI-powered calving monitoring can support timely intervention and provide greater peace of mind.
Already, simple cameras are used on most farms to monitor the calving process, but they depend on the eyes and experience of the observer looking at a phone screen to identify the start and progress of calving, and intervene at the right point during difficult births.
Now, the Lely Zeta AI Calving Camera adds artificial intelligence (AI) to the process.
For the first time, a camera can proactively alert the farmer when calving begins, and provide the farmer with data on the intervals between contractions, and on how long the calving process has been going on.
The farmer can control the camera’s LED lighting, for effective monitoring at night or in difficult lighting conditions.
The objective is greater peace of mind, day or night, and allowing the farmer to focus on other tasks in the run-up to calvings.
The Lely Zeta has won one of the German Agricultural Society’s 27 EuroTier silver medals for innovation.
EuroTier takes place from November 10 to 13 in Hanover.
