On Monday, April 18, Dr. Madonna Benjamin accepted her Innovation of the Year Award at the Michigan State University 2022 Innovation Celebration for her artificial intelligence program, Sows In Motion (SIM), and its accompanying SIMKit. Her research team—Dr. Daniel Morris, associate professor for MSU's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Michael Lavagnino, academic specialist in the MSU College of Engineering; and Steven Yik, research assistant at Michigan State University and signal processing and sensor fusion leader for SAE AutoDrive Challenge and General Motors—also were recognized.
Benjamin and her team developed SIM to process the images of female breeding pigs in order to detect abnormalities in locomotion caused by lameness, and to identify the changes in body condition that occur across the pigs' lifetimes. The SIMKit is the 3D camera and computer processing system used to capture the images of sows while they are walking in the barn.
Watch: About SIM, SIMKit, and Dr. Madonna Benjamin.
“Receiving the Innovation of the Year Award was a surprise and a testament that the idea to quantify changes in livestock resonates with our peers. This form of consensus shores our premise that we could improve the longevity and welfare of breeding females by quantifying the natural changes to body composition and locomotion patterns during their production phases. In the short-term, the SIM software will enable farmers to better care for their breeding pigs, which can save them money in the long run and improve the quality and health of those food-producing animals. But more than that, SIM has the capacity to revolutionize the industry. This award is both the icing on this amazing cake that our team created and encouragement for the work yet to be done,” says Benjamin.
“Real-world solutions to today’s greatest challenges require cross-disciplinary collaboration. Dr. Benjamin, her engineering and AI teammates, and their accomplishments exactly encapsulate what it means to be part of the Michigan State research community. We’re immensely proud of Dr. Benjamin at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and we’re ready to support the next steps for SIM," remarks Dr. Birgit Puschner, dean for the College.
"In the short-term, the SIM software will enable farmers to better care for their breeding pigs, which can save them money in the long run and improve the quality and health of those food-producing animals. But more than that, SIM has the capacity to revolutionize the industry. This award is both the icing on this amazing cake that our team created and encouragement for the work yet to be done."
"If pigs could talk, they would tell us when they are hurting. But since they can't, our system is designed to unobtrusively monitor them and catch early-stage health problems while they can still be treated." — Dr. Michael Lavagnino
"SIM is a personalized caretaker. A system designed to aid pigs in need, and alert their farmers to provide the best care that they deserve." — Steven Yik
