Non-Invasive Stress Monitoring System for Farm Animals using Radio Telemetry
- Members: David Chesmore, Derek CS Yoon
- Start Date: June 2006
Changes in body temperature and heart rate of farm animals can indicate stress and inadequate thermal environment, particularly during transport. Conventional methods of measuring these parameters have been through surgically implanted sensors into the animals which is not practical in daily transportation usage. The aim of this project is to design and develop a miniature non-invasive biotelemetry sensor that can be placed in the ear canal of pigs to measure the heart rate and body temperature. A non-invasive method of measuring heart rate is by monitoring the blood perfusion of tissue within the ear using photo-electric circuits. A low cost 8-bit microcontroller is used to control the sensor and radio communications. Data is transmitted in real time back to a cab-mounted base station using a 868MHz license-exempt radio designed to provide up to 32 channels using only a single radio channel. This will be achieved by employing time slot multiple access technique in combination with a robust coding system.
The project finished at the end of 2005.