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BTN: Animal recognition system

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A wallaby
BTN: Animal recognition system

SUBJECTS:  Science, Technologies

YEARS:  7–8


We have all heard of human face recognition systems, but have you heard of animal recognition technology?

Watch this clip to discover how an 'animal recognition gate' is being used to separate the sheep from the goats.

Find out how this innovative application of a popular technology might help farmers manage pest animals on their farms.


Things to think about

  1. 1.How do face recognition systems work? Can you imagine how this technology might be adapted to separate pest animals from livestock on a farm? Why would farmers go to so much trouble to identify the different animals on the farm?
  2. 2.What damage and problems does the reporter say that the pest native and feral animals cause? What are the five pieces of equipment that make up the animal recognition technology? What is the purpose of the blue screen in this machine? What difference does the machine pick up on when Catherine and Sarah walk past the screen?
  3. 3.Explain how 'animal recognition gate' technology works. Drawing a flow diagram might help. Include an explanation of how this technology identifies and separates pests from livestock. Can you identify any potential problems with using this technology on a large farm?
  4. 4.What other uses can you think of for this type of animal identification technology in industry, society or the environment? Might any of them be seen by you or others as disagreeable or unethical? What other ways can farmers control pest animals on their farms? Weigh up the benefits and problems related to a few of these pest-control methods.



Date of broadcast: 20 Jul 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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