Review
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Digital Twins in Livestock Farming
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and
Version 1
: Received: 28 January 2021 / Approved: 29 January 2021 / Online: 29 January 2021 (12:48:12 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Neethirajan, S.; Kemp, B. Digital Twins in Livestock Farming. Animals, 2021, 11, 1008. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041008. Neethirajan, S.; Kemp, B. Digital Twins in Livestock Farming. Animals, 2021, 11, 1008. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041008.
Abstract
Digital twin technology is already improving efficiencies and reducing costs across multiple industries and sectors. As the earliest adopters, space technology and manufacturing sectors have made the most sophisticated gains with automobile and natural resource extraction industries following close behind with recent investments in digital twin technology. The application of digital twins within the livestock farming sector is the next frontier. The possibilities that this technology may fuel are nearly endless as digital twins can be used to improve large-scale precision livestock farming practices, machinery and equipment usage, and the health and well-being of a wide variety of farm animals. Currently, many pioneers of digital twins in livestock farming are already applying sophisticated AI technology to monitor both animals and environment around the clock, which leads to a better understanding of animal behavior and distress, disease control and prevention, and smarter business decisions for the farmer. Mental and emotional states of animals can be monitored using recognition technology that examines facial features such as ear postures and eye white regions. Used with modeling, simulation and augmented reality technologies, digital twins can help farmers build more energy-efficient housing structures, predict heat cycles for breeding, discourage negative behaviors of livestock, and potentially much more. As with all disruptive technological advances, the implementation of digital twin technology will demand a thorough cost and benefit analysis by individual farms. Digital twin application will need to overcome challenges and accept limitations that arise. However, regardless of these issues, the potential of digital twins promises to revolutionize livestock farming in the future.
Keywords
Digital twin; Precision Livestock Farming; digitosome; Digital cohort; animal farming
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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