January 7, 2020

Prompt Equipments and Indian Institute of Technology launch wearable device for cattle breeding

Dairy technology solutions provider Prompt Equipments is collaborating with Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT-Mumbai) to make smart wearable devices for cattle farmers to identify crucial intervals during cow breeding, The Hindu BusinessLine reported.

The Ahmedabad-based company has launched a wearable belt called 'BovSmart' using Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for timely detection of the onset of the cow's heat cycle. Breeding cows that are not in heat or not at the peak of the heat cycle leads to low fertility and financial loss for the owner.

This device works by sending signals of the cow's heat cycle to a receiver which alerts the system and the company which subsequently sends these alerts to farmers in the form of an SMS on their mobile app.

The cattle owner can then decide whether to artificially inseminate the animal.

According to Shridhar Mehta, director, Prompt, "many more products, aimed at improving bovine and farm yields, are in the development pipeline."

On a trial basis, the belt has been experimented on 500 animals. The company aims to cover 10,000 animals in a span of one year.

The cost of the belt is ₹4,500 (~US$62.62; ₹1 = US$0.014) and the receiver would cost ₹70,000.

Prompt has a network in more than 50,000 villages across 22 States having an annual turnover of ₹150 crore.