ETRI WEBZINE

Vol.71 December 2022

ICT TREND

ETRI developed
『Smart Safe Livestock Barn Platform』 technology

- 10% increase in productivity by applying the world’s first digital twin
and building a virtual livestock barn
- Integrated management such as early detection of livestock diseases
and energy efficiency with artificial intelligence

Researchers in Korea have developed a smart safety livestock barn platform that can comprehensively manage pig breeding and disease situations. It is expected to be of great help in improving productivity and responding to diseases by establishing a smart safety livestock barn based on information and communication technology (ICT).

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced that it has developed TRIPLETS, a smart safety livestock barn platform that can prevent livestock diseases and effectively control and manage livestock by incorporating the latest ICT such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins in the livestock.

Among agricultural and livestock products in Korea, pig farming is the largest, with domestic production exceeding KRW 8 trillion as of last year. However, due to difficulties in the field, such as frequent livestock diseases, odor, and reduced manpower, small-scale farms are decreasing and large-scale farms are increasing.

In line with the trend of large-scale and systematization of the pig farming industry, there is a growing demand for an ICT-based smart livestock barn specialized in early response to livestock diseases and efficient livestock management and sanitary barn management.

TRIPLET, a smart livestock barn platform developed by ETRI, combines AI and digital twin technologies into the pig industry. It analyzes pigs' behavior and immunity 24 hours a day and comprehensively controls early detection of livestock diseases such as diarrhea and respiratory diseases, productivity improvement through complex environment and specification management, energy utilization optimization, and air re-circulation.

In particular, the digital twin platform (TRIPLET-P) is a technology that builds and analyzes virtual livestock barn in a digital space by utilizing real-time information such as facilities, pig behavior, environment sensor information, and energy use of livestock barn. In digital space, livestock barn control, operation, and environmental changes such as breeding density and livestock group management can be simulated in advance, reflected in actual livestock, thereby increasing productivity and establishing an optimal livestock barn environment. The TRIPLET platform is the world's first to apply digital twin technology to the livestock industry. The researchers expect the platform to increase productivity by at least 10% over the previous years.

The livestock barn safety monitoring system (TRIPLET-Eye) is a technology that utilizes AI technology and bio sensors to monitor livestock stress, changes in immunity, and abnormal signs. First, the behavior of pigs is monitored 24 hours a day through low-cost IP cameras to infer and analyze signs of abnormalities in pigs. Also, through the saliva extractor module and bio sensor installed in the livestock barn, the pig's stress and immune state changes are analyzed and the health condition is comprehensively managed.

In addition, through joint research with Seoul National University, the smart safety livestock barn system (TRIPLET-S) with the world's best air re-circulation system was also developed. The smart safe livestock barn system integrates and manages the barn environment, such as air cleaning and deodorization, ultraviolet sterilization, and energy management, and prevents the occurrence and inflow and outflow of diseases.

Additionally, through the integrated autonomous operation system for farms with smart safe livestock barn (TRIPLET-A), livestock farmers are supported to autonomously operate the platform according to the environment of each farm.

Based on the TRIPLET platform and related element technologies, the research team has applied for/registered about 30 domestic and foreign patents, and is working hard to commercialize the platform by improving the platform's completeness at “Eco-Farm”, an agricultural corporation in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do as a TestBed.

The researchers announced that this technology was successfully developed based on ▲ETRI's digital twin platform technology ▲AI image analysis technology ▲time-series data prediction technology ▲agricultural and livestock IoT platform technology and ▲ big data accumulated over many years.

Kim Se-han, Director of ETRI's Agriculture, Animal and Aquaculture Intelligence Research Center, said, "This technology will be of great help in narrowing the technological gap with leading countries in the livestock industry, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, and enhancing the competitiveness of the livestock industry. We will continue to work with farmers in the field to improve and spread the completeness of the platform.”

In the future, the research team will proceed with commercialization for companies related to agricultural and livestock IT systems, and will strive to spread the smart safe livestock barn platform and foster an ecosystem for new industries converged in the livestock industry through technology transfer and start-up support for domestic and foreign companies.

This technology was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Information and Communications Planning and Evaluation Institute's “ICT-based intelligent smart safe livestock barn technology development for livestock disease prevention and control management”. With ETRI at the center, related companies, veterinarians, overseas research institutes, and domestic farms participated to develop world-class source technology in the field of livestock intelligence solutions.