Automating pig farming with AI and IoT under horde management

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H03108
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 41040:Agricultural environmental engineering and agricultural information engineering-related
• Research Institution: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: Kawasue Kikuhito 宮崎大学, 工学部, 教授 (20214645)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 養豚の自動化 / AI / IoT / 画像計測

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In pig production, the number of pigs raised on each farm is increasing, but the population of workers involved in pig production is decreasing, so lighter labor is expected. On the other hand, it is also important to improve pig grading and profitability. Weight is a major criterion for pig grading. Too heavy or too light will decrease profits, and pigs need to be shipped at the appropriate weight. However, since each pig weighs more than 100 kg, weighing each pig is very labor intensive. In large farms, more than 50 pigs are kept in a single piggery, and they are shipped together at the same time, after determining the day when they have reached the proper weight for shipment. In order to improve profitability, it is important to control the growth of pigs in a piggery so that they grow uniformly and to determine the appropriate shipping date. In this study, a prototype system was developed to automatically measure daily weight distribution.

Free Research Field

知能センシング

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

開発したシステムは、豚の1日の体重分布を測定し、生産者が豚の出荷日を決定する際に有用な情報を提供する。ロードセル測定装置は、敷料に使用するおがくずの影響を受けやすく、正確な測定のためには日々のメンテナンスが必要である。少人数の養豚場では、日々のメンテナンスとしてシステム内のおがくずを除去することは難しい。一方、開発したシステムは、豚の通路上部に設置したRGB-Dセンサーで豚の体重を推定するため、おがくずを取り除くメンテナンス作業が不要。そのため、豚が小さいうちから出荷日まで毎日使用することができる。実験結果からは、実用上十分な測定精度が確認され今後の養豚業の軽労化に寄与することが期待できる。