In 2016, scientists developed a prototype software that uses machine learning to analyze 3D visual data of animal movements. The software allows for efficient, low-cost and accurate analysis of animal behaviour, offering an alternative to human observation of recorded videos. This tool uses computer vision to track behaviour patterns of animals in order to automatically identify unusual movement that may indicate health issues. While initially designed as a tool to monitor dogs in a kennel, the software could be applied to any animal in confinement, and it has the potential to improve the welfare of animals in farms, laboratories and zoos. The study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health and was completed by researchers from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise (Italy).
Barnard, S., Calderara, S., Pistocchi, S., Cucchiara, R., Podaliri-Vulpiani, M., Messori, S., & Ferri, N. (2016). “Quick, accurate, smart: 3D computer vision technology helps assessing confined animals’ behaviour.”
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Artificial Intelligence, Data, Ecological Modelling, Ecological Monitoring, Internet of Things, Lifestyle
Air Pollution Robot
The dangers of air pollution to human health are well documented, though the traditional methodology of collecting and reporting on sample lags behind the need to keep abreast and regulate air pollution in a meaningful amount of time. The use of drones and robots have been identified by researchers as resources that can be tweaked […]
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Industry/Natural Commodities, Lifestyle, Monitoring
Telematic Rivers
Erica Kermani’s artwork seeks to answer a central question: if rivers were seeing an equal, living entity, would humans take issues like climate change threatening them more seriously? In his year-long art exhibition in 2017, Kermani, in collaboration with Diana Salcedo & Jeana Chesnik, created a new forum of interaction between humans and rivers to […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies
Co-occupied Boundaries
Art is easily found in nature but rarely is what considered art today inherently natural. The concept of co-occupied mediums that serve to be both functional for nature and aesthetically pleasing to people is being actively explored by Asya Ilgun and Phil Ayres, from the CITAstudio at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies