Introduction:
Artificial Intelligence is an essential part of computer science which help create the smart machines capable to perform task that typically require human intelligence. It is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to integrate information, analyse data, and use the insights to improve decision-making thus improving efficiency of any Business. Let’s take the example of Google Search Engine, it is programed and developed by human intelligence to give you a platform from where you can get any information related to anything by typing the exact keywords in search box. Google Search Engine uses artificial Intelligence to reduce the human effort in getting any information available on internet.
There are several parts we need to know in order to completely understand the concept of Artificial Intelligence. Please find the table below for a brief overview about Artificial Intelligence.
It will be difficult to explain all the components individually in a single article. Above table just give us brief Idea that Artificial intelligence is a very broad topic and have multiple components and parts. Scope of AI is very broad and has multiple application across different industries.
Artificial Intelligence in Poultry Industry:
Artificial Intelligence can help address many challenges in poultry industry. Human interference in farm can be a source of infection plus in many processes machines and robotics can be much more efficient as compared to Humans. Artificial Intelligence can very well reduce the error, improve efficiency of farming and maximize profit of a farm. We will cover one by one how AI can create an impact in Poultry Industry.
1) Farm Management
Big Data has a huge role to play in improving Farm Management practices. Large amount of data in our Industry is manual and in recent time computers are used to store all the information about the farm. Various parameters are being collected and information is stored in form of excel or software’s. With the help of Big Data, a large amount of information can be stored in cloud spaces which can be utilized by Machine or robotics to control parameters like Humidity, temperature, light etc. Machine Learning is one such tool which will have a major role to shape the future of farm management practices. Via Machine Learning Robotics can be used to monitor large number of parameters which are essential for Farm Management. Artificial Intelligence can not only collect this Parameters but can also process the data and process the result with the help of Data analytics using prestored data in cloud. After processing the result AI can be used for instant decision making thus improving efficiency of the Farm.
For Example- Robots can be programmed to collect information like Temperature, Humidity, Ammonia levels inside the farm, this information can be further processed and results can be produced. These results will now allow the machines to take decision related to ventilation by itself. This process which is repetitive yet very important for the efficiency and profitability of the farm can be managed efficiently by Machine Learning and Data Analytics. AI will help to monitor these activities all the time which sometime becomes very tedious task for humans to perform.
Many universities have started evaluating Poultry farming control system to monitor and control the environment inside poultry farm. Technologies like Zigbee and Raspberry Pi integrated with wireless sensors and GPRS are currently in evaluation phase and will soon enter on a larger scale in poultry industry.
Other activities like Feeding, Watering, Sanitization etc. can be done via Artificial Intelligence. Data Analytics will also help in future projection of outcome by collecting and Analyzing the present data. One can easily be able to project the weight of birds after 30 days by monitoring and analyzing current data. AI will bring efficiency and accuracy into the system and will help to take better and faster decisions.
2) Disease Management
Disease Management is most essential part of farming practices. Each and every activity which we perform in farm is linked to disease management by one way or another. Managing Disease through machines can be a very complex process knowing the variation in symptoms and possibility of N number of diseases. AI however can simplify the process in near future by assisting in diagnosis. Here also we will talk about machine learning and Big data which can play a decisive role in disease management. Some of the problems like huddling and cannibalizing can be very easily identified with the help of Camera installed in farms and can be send to the caretaker of farm so that faster decision can be made and loss can be reduced. Birds produce different kind of voices and show unusual behavior during diseases. Data regarding the unusual voice and behavioral changes can be fed to the machine system and machines can be programmed in such a way to alarm the veterinarian regarding any such behavior within seconds of its occurrence. Similarly, for a pathologist or consultants, in order to do confirmatory diagnosis mobile application can be designed in such a way that with the help of mobile camera and application they will be able to make diagnosis in a better way. Large amount of Data will be required to come up with such application. Similar data can be utilized by the in-farm machine system to diagnose any kind of disease and alarm the care taker of the farm.
One such experiment was done in 2012 by scientists at oxford university known as “Chicken Time Warp”. They concluded that collective motion of flock can help identification of disease week before onset. This prediction can help to counter many disease related losses incurred by farmers and can be replicated for many deadly diseases in poultry. (https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/diagnostics/machine-vision-sees-into-chickens-futures)
3) Trials and Evaluation of Nutrition and Medicinal Products/ Genetics Studies:
AI can be very efficient in collecting data and processing it while conducting trials or comparative studies of various products. Through Machines and sensors large number of data points can be monitored at single point of time which will take a lot of time for humans to evaluate. AI will not only help to collect data but also to evaluate results through analytics and provide with comparative results with statistical analysis. Similarly impact of different kind of feed formulations can be evaluated at a pace which is impossible for humans to perform. Programming and robotics can also help in improving genetics of the breed. It can help in identifying breed characteristics and ease off the decision making in selecting right breed characteristics while studying genetics. These processes can reduce the trial cost significantly and provide with accurate trial results. Research and development is one of the costliest affair in any industry and Artificial intelligence can help to manage that cost efficiently and also allow company to do multiple studies in single trial that would otherwise take multiple efforts when performed by humans.
4) Post Farm Activities
This is one area where AI is already been used in many developed countries and have created huge impact in efficiency of poultry processing industry. Technology like Artificial Vision/Machine vision are evaluated by meat processing companies for sorting of Broiler parts, for identifying diseased carcass. Machines can easily differentiate between density of bones and muscle mass thus process like Deboning are perfect for Artificial intelligence to operate. Layer Farmers are using AI for grading of egg and to identify quality eggs at much higher speed. Machine vision when combined with smart automation has allowed processing industry to improve the quality of carcass and packaging of broiler meat. Many successful studies have been done by using spectral- line Imaging system for presorting application of Broiler chicken with high accuracy. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20460672).
Global Giant Tyson food has already installed computer vision system – consisting of cameras, Machine-Learning Algorithm and edge computing at three of its plants with aim to track the quantity of chicken moving through their production lines. They have already decided to move to smart automation and artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of overall value chain. They have further announced that it will install these technologies in all its plant across the country in coming time. (https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/capital-investment/news/21115586/tyson-to-count-its-chickens-with-computer-vision)
As global Protein demand is increasing at much higher pace both in India and other parts of the world. these technologies will surely create big impact in providing good quality protein through chicken and egg at low cost. Poultry industry is suffering from many challenges like high raw material prices and diseases like Avian influenza. AI can positively impact whole industry to improve efficiency of process and make chicken and egg affordable for large proportion of population.
5) Miscellaneous uses
AI is a vast technology and have multiple use which can directly or indirectly impact poultry industry. Technologies like smart automation and machine vision can be used by Nutrition companies, Feed manufacturers, Vaccine and medicine manufacturer to improve accuracy, efficiency and further enhance the quality control in their manufacturing facilities.
It can help overcome challenges of data collection and analytics faced by large integrators due to scattered distribution of farms across geographies. AI will enable them to fetch analyzed data from multiple farms located at different location and also allow them to monitor them from distance. This will help them to better control the complete production system be it Breeder farms, Layer Farms or Broiler farms. AI will also help to propagate any new technology at a much faster pace as demonstration of technology will become much easier, and convincing new stake holders to adapt technology will take less time.
Conclusions
There is hardly any doubt on application of Artificial Technology in Poultry industry. In coming future AI will reshape Poultry industry and will have a positive role to play in bringing efficiency and accuracy at every level of Poultry Industry. In last few years many companies have started evaluating use of AI at various levels of value chain and have adopted them. Artificial Intelligence has great potential in poultry industry as there are numerous challenges which Cannot be solved without the involvement of Machines and Robotics. Further use of new technologies will make Chicken and Egg affordable for all by improving the efficiency of whole Production system.
References are available upon request
by Kanhhaiya Verma & Dr Ashish Arya, Artius Technologies
