Methodology and results of field tests of the digital monitoring system for the exterior of dairy cows

In the agro-industrial complex of Russia, there is a demand for technologies for digitalization of the process of collecting linear parameters of the exterior of animals, especially dairy cows. The transition from subjective manual grading to a unified automatic one will dramatically increase the productivity and accuracy of such operations. The aim of the study was to develop a methodology and conduct an initial full-scale test of a digital monitoring system for the exterior of dairy cows. The study was conducted on an operating dairy farm in the Moscow region; all animals belonged to the black-and-white zebu breed. The suitability of the digital monitoring system’s pass-through box for the passage of dairy cows, the operability and error of 8 camera units, possible animal stress, and the overall stability of the system were assessed. M5 3D TOF RGB three-dimensional time-of-flight cameras and stereo pairs of two 1/3-inch CMOS OV4689 lenses located on the board were used to collect images. In total, the system of 8 camera units located above and to the side of the digital monitoring system’s walk-through box allows for simultaneous shooting of each animal from all sides, providing for the measurement of 18 basic body measurements of the cow and the calculation of 12 body condition indices. As a result, it was determined that the camera units are able to capture images of animals moving in the digital monitoring system’s walk-through box without stopping. The resolution error of the distance map collected from the images was ±10 mm. It was confirmed that the animals were walking calmly in the entrance box of the digital monitoring system, without showing signs of excessive stress.