Cow tracker

Livestock farming increasingly calls for close analysis of herd health, both to catch health problems before they spread through the group and to pinpoint the oestrus period. Our client, supported by a leading Italian university, has deep knowledge of the algorithms that can derive valuable information for the farmer from accelerometer and temperature data.

Designing the device raised several technical challenges, above all because of the harsh environment it works in. Minimising how often batteries have to be changed, and making the enclosure as robust as possible, were the aspects that demanded the most attention.

The device packs in a range of technologies: BLE connectivity, NFC memory, inertial sensors and satellite positioning.

DAOS also supported the client in building the cloud infrastructure that receives the data, setting up the receiving brokers and the database structure later used by the web design agency chosen by the client to build the front end and back end.

Temperature measurement with calorimetric sensors, mechanical design, LiFePO4 battery power, GNSS antenna design