Nikon has applied its imaging and AI expertise in an unexpected manner, introducing a system that alerts farmers when a cow is approaching childbirth, as reported by Kyodo News. This innovative solution aims to minimize the necessity for constant monitoring of large groups of pregnant cows, particularly during busy calving seasons, thereby enhancing overall farm efficiency.
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Priced at 900,000 yen per year ($6,200) for a farm with approximately 100 cows, the system combines a security-style camera with an AI system. The integrated smartphone application delivers timely alerts when a calf is nearing delivery, empowering farmers to take prompt action when necessary.
Nikon initiated AI training in the fall of 2021, conducting proof-of-concept trials on four farms in southwestern Japan by February 2023. The AI system identifies early signs exhibited by pregnant cows, such as heightened movement and the initiation of the calf’s amniotic sac release, approximately five hours before labour. Kazuhiro Hirano of Nikon expressed the company’s ambition to expand the system’s capabilities to include detecting signs of a female cow in heat and other behavioural patterns.
Feedback from a livestock owner who participated in the tests last year affirmed the system’s effectiveness. Keita Higuchi stated, “We deliver about 60 calves per year and had to check the mothers every few hours from around a month before they are due. This system has been a great help.”
While Nikon is renowned for its consumer cameras, it is involved in various industries, manufacturing products such as microscopes, X-Ray systems, semiconductor systems, robot vision, and virtual production studios. In addition to aiding microscope imaging with AI technology, the company has also taken measures to combat the misuse of fake AI images through the introduction of new electronic watermarking technology.
