Artificial Intelligence driven novel ear tag for critical cattle health monitoring

Chief Investigator

The overarching aim of this project is to develop and validate a wearable ear tag for cattle that integrates photoplethysmography (PPG) and temperature sensors to enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of cardiovascular and thermal health parameters. The system will measure real-time changes in blood volume using optical PPG principles, allowing for the estimation of heart rate, pulse wave characteristics, and vascular dynamics, along with body temperature. By capturing PPG waveform features such as anacrotic/dicrotic peaks, heart rate variability, and systolic-diastolic timing, this tool will support early indications of physiological stress, fever, or emerging illness, which can significantly impact animal welfare, productivity, and farm profitability. The data will be transmitted wirelessly to a cloud platform for visualization and alert generation through a user-friendly mobile app. The project currently stands at technology readiness level 3. Over the 12-month duration, the project aims to advance the system to TRL 4 through expanded testing, integration with cloud-based platforms, and refinement of algorithms for commercial on-farm use.

11 Feb 2026 - 10 Feb 2027

N/A