Hogthrob, Networked on-a-chip nodes for sow monitoring
Sow monitoring is a very interesting application area for sensor networks. Consider sows wearing sensor nodes incorporating movement detectors as well as a micro-controller and a radio. A farmer could have wireless contact with the sensor nodes and thus track the sows roaming freely in their assigned pen. Software running on the sensor nodes could also alert the farmer in case a sow is entering its heat period (there is a correlation between the movement of the sows and its heat period). Today, sows wear tags but farmers need physical contacts with those tags to identify the animal; in addition, farmers are on their own to monitor heat. The Danish Committee for Pig Production has recognized the potential of sensor networks for sow monitoring.
More info here.
