Review of Methods to Determine Weight and Size of Livestock from Images

Abstract

In this article, the technologies which can determine the weight and growth of livestock are reviewed. Limitations of the weighing task by these different methods are defined. Comparisons between the different techniques highlight the superiority of the non-contact visionbased method. Modelling techniques for weight estimation, size and composition are reviewed along with image segmentation and recognition methods. Conclusions identify that further work is required in regards to (i) estimating the weight, (ii) estimating the weight deviation of groups of livestock animals, (iii) estimating the weight of individual animals, and (iv) improving the design of livestock weighing methods to function in commercially realistic environments. Future direction also centres on enhancing automation, minimising invasive environmental-control, maximising precision and repeatability during the recovery of body measurements and identifying and controlling the effect of any bias in weight estimation.