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Innovative Zoo Cameras Can Now Monitor Animal's Health From Afar

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    The new sophisticated innovation is being examined in a pilot study at the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia, by a group of university researchers.

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    The Zoo is using a high-resolution digital camera installed on a tripod to take tiny movements in the chest, indicating heart breathing rates.

    Product - Recorded video (Koala) Distance of 3- 40 m RGB Converting RGB colour space to Yeh r colour space Y antensity Channel) Nikon D610 ROI Selection (200-500mm) Data Acquisition Averaged signal y (t) MATLAB GUI Environment Wawelet Signal Denoising Method Meing Average Fitering Spectral Analysis & Filtering Zoo Animals FFT Band-pass filter corresponding to cardiac frequencies Band-pass filter corresponding to breathing frequencies iFFT iFFT Peak Detection Pulse Rate Breathing Rate
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    9 species of animals were filmed for 3 minutes, up to 40 meters away: a giant panda, African lion, alpaca, Sumatran tiger, Koala, orangutan, Hamadryas baboon, red kangaroo, and a little blue penguin.

    Terrestrial animal
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    UniSA Professor, engineer Javaan Chahl, provided more info about the pilot:

    Rhesus macaque

    "The study was done without any physical contact with the animals and without disrupting their daily routine. We showed through this experiment that digital cameras can successfully extract cardiopulmonary signals from the animals in a zoo setting. The technique needs refining and more validation, but it demonstrates that wild animals can be remotely monitored for signs of poor health, allowing for earlier detection of illness and fewer unconscious trips to the vet".

    Senior veterinarian Ian Smith explained that the new technology is crucial to ensuring safety for all parties: "When you're dealing with lions, there are a lot of health risks for the personnel involved," he said.

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