![[SPACE 2024] The MoSBReaL device wins an Innov'Space!](https://euro.dayfr.com/content/uploads/2024/09/17/a7712809d5.jpg)
MoSBReaL aims to monitor and record the activity of sows stuck in farrowing pens, in order to address animal health and welfare issues. This system is the result of a collaboration between INRAE (GenPhySE units in Toulouse and ASSET in Antilles-Guyane), the Institut du Porc (IFIP) and the Alliance R&D association, which brings together the French pig breeding companies Axiom and Nucleus.
A precision tool dedicated to animal phenotyping
MoSBReaL is an innovative solution for high-throughput phenotyping of animal behavior through image analysis. This automated measurement tool is composed of two IP cameras and a Raspberry Pi microcomputer to monitor two sows simultaneously. The microcomputer manages the data flow and estimates the sows' posture live. This software is able to differentiate eight postures (sitting, standing, kneeling, lying on the stomach, lying on the right/left side with or without visible teats) that it records every 30 seconds, day and night. The different postures of the animal can then be used to calculate health indicators, qualify sows that facilitate piglets' access to the udder and contribute to the search for welfare indicators. Sow activity can be linked to piglet survival.
Artificial intelligence and image analysis: a winning duo
The innovation is based on the use of image analysis with a Yolo-v8 neural network embedded in the Raspberry Pi, offering cutting-edge performance in terms of precision and analysis speed. Alliance R&D and IFIP collected images in varied breeding conditions, using twenty devices, or 40 cameras, deployed on 10 farms. The annotation of more than 130,000 images from 224 sows made it possible to develop the tool. The postures of the sows are predicted with an overall accuracy of more than 90%, a score maintained in different test situations. Easy to install and use, this device is suitable for varied breeding conditions and can be adapted to the monitoring of other species.
The development of this device benefited from financial support from the INRAE prematuration program (ACTAE project) and Carnot France Futur Elevage (What-Sow project).
