Application testing of a new three-dimensional acceleration measuring system with wireless data transfer (WAS) for behavior analysisK. M. Scheibe and C. GromannInstitute for Zoo- and Wildlife Research Berlin (IZW), Berlin, GermanyThe WAS (greenway systeme) was tested and applied on free moving cows and horses. Tw sensors were available, as a collar, and as flat box for measuring leg or trunk movements. Accelerations up to ± 2 g were measured linearly, accelerations between 2 g and 4 g with a damped characteristic. A version for ± 10 g is also possible. Recording intervals of 10ms, 100ms or 1000ms can be selected. Results can be transmitted simultaneously on a laptop over a distance of about 50 to 200 m or stored in the 8 MB internal memory. In the case of radio transmission, results are displayed on a graph simultaneously. Data are stored in EXCEL- compatible text files. The sample rate in all reported experiments was 10m. For each sample point, the resulting force was determined from the tree-dimensional accelerations. By means of the collar sensor, basic behavior patterns like standing, grazing, walking, ruminating, drinking, and hay uptake could be identified in cows. Frequency distribution and standard deviations, spectral analysis, and fractal analysis were successfully applied to distinguish between these behaviors. Lameness could be detected in cows and horses by means of the leg sensor. As analytical procedures, also frequency distribution, fractal dimension, and spectral analysis were applied. From the spectral analysis, harmonic and non-harmonic frequencies were separated and compared. The portion of basic and harmonic components was reduced in lame animals of the two species, the fractal dimension reduced. These methods enabled the detection of even a low expressed lameness.
Paper presented at Measuring Behavior 2005 , 5th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research, 30 August - 2 September 2005, Wageningen, The Netherlands. © 2005 Noldus Information Technology bv |