idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The interdisciplinary project will use artificial intelligence (AI), image processing, bioacoustics and sensor technologies to record the welfare of laboratory and farm animals.
Rostock/Dummerstorf, 10.04.2025 - The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is driving forward research into animal health and welfare. At the kick-off for the interdisciplinary joint project ‘KI-TIERWOHL’, around 50 scientists came together in the auditorium of the University of Rostock on Tuesday to coordinate the schedule and focus for the coming months at a first official working session. The aim of the project, which is being funded by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry of Science with five million euros through the State Excellence Initiative, is to develop innovative methods for the automated, contactless recording of animal welfare using image processing, bioacoustics and sensor technologies. State-of-the-art AI-supported analysis methods are used to enable an objective and evidence-based assessment of animal welfare in research and agriculture. In particular, their behavioural patterns, sounds (vocalisation) and vital data are considered.
‘The welfare of animals is not only an ethical obligation, but also a crucial prerequisite for high-quality research and sustainable agriculture. With ‘KI-TIERWOHL’, we are setting new standards in the recording of behavioural patterns relevant to animal welfare. Thanks to the interdisciplinary approach and the use of state-of-the-art technologies, we can gain valuable insights that can be directly applied both in research and in practice,’ says Prof Dr Brigitte Vollmar, Director of the Rudolf Zenker Institute for Experimental Surgery at Rostock University Medical Centre and spokesperson for the “KI-TIERWOHL” network.
The project brings together leading scientists from the life sciences, agricultural sciences, engineering and social sciences. Experts from Rostock University Medical Centre, the Universities of Rostock and Greifswald, the Research Institute of Farm Animal Biology (FBN), the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) for Animal Health and the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences are working together on an objective and fully automated animal welfare assessment. The use of AI methods, such as machine learning and pattern recognition, should enable a more precise assessment of stress, impairment, pain and emotional status. In addition to technical innovations and modern research data management, social-scientific studies on the acceptance and implementation of these new technologies are also at the centre of the project.
‘In the joint project KI-TIERWOHL, we at the FBN are making an important contribution to the automated recording of animal welfare in pigs and cattle,’ explains Prof Dr Birger Puppe from the FBN. ‘Our focus is on the analysis of behaviour and vocalisations in order to identify objective and reliable indicators of animal welfare. The FBN team brings a range of expertise to the project: Dr Sandra Düpjan is researching the animals' vocalisations, Dr Christian Manteuffel is developing sensor- and video-based recording methods and I am working on activity and social behaviour. Through the interdisciplinary exchange with our partners and the use of state-of-the-art AI technologies, we are creating the basis for smart, practical solutions that enable sustainable and animal-friendly livestock farming,’ summarises Prof. Dr Puppe.
In addition to ‘AI Animal Welfare’, the FBN is also a partner in two other collaborative projects and is thus significantly involved in three of the five funded research networks. In the AutoPasture project, the FBN is contributing its expertise in behavioural research and digital animal monitoring. The aim is to make pasture management more efficient and animal-friendly through AI-supported behavioural analyses and virtual fencing, among other things. The Alg4Nut project is researching the use of algae as an innovative feedstuff for ruminants.
The excellence projects will be funded over four years with five million euros each and emphasise the central role of the FBN in applied cutting-edge research for sustainable livestock farming.
Prof Birger Puppe
puppe@fbn-dummerstorf.de
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Ernährung / Gesundheit / Pflege, Gesellschaft, Tier / Land / Forst
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