To the untrained eye, these are just some cows hanging out in a pasture, but look closer those are belts around their necks.
对于门外汉而言,这些只不过是在牧场闲逛的奶牛,但靠近点看,你会发现它们的脖子上带有项圈。
It can pick out whether the cow is eating, whether it's ruminating, whether it's walking, whether it's drinking, whether it's lying down, standing up.
它能分辨出哪头牛正在吃东西,哪头在反刍,哪头在散步,哪头在喝水,哪头躺下休息,哪头站着。
These farmers are using a new technology on their cows called Intelligent Dairy Farmer's Assistant or IDA.
这些农民将一种名叫“智能奶农助手”的新技术应用到牛身上。
It's a wearable device that helps them identify cows that are sick, less productive or ready for breeding.
这是一种可穿戴设备,可以帮助农民了解哪头牛病了,哪头产量不高,哪头准备好繁殖。
Our cows are outdoors 365 days of the year.
这些奶牛一年365天都在户外。
And so there's not the human contact, if you like with the cows on a continuous basis throughout the day.
我们不可能时时刻刻盯着它们。
Richard Watson monitors cows through a device created by Connecterra that runs on a Google platform, feeding data into a network that recognizes patterns.
理查德·沃森通过Connecterra公司产品监控这些奶牛,该设备在谷歌平台上运行,并将数据传送到能够进行模式识别的网络上。
It's really exciting for us, because we personally never would have thought to utilize this in the dairy industry.
我们从未想过在乳制品产业使用该技术,这太让人兴奋了。
But luckily, people like Connecterra were able to use that open source machine learning framework so...
但幸运的是,像Connecterra等公司能够使用开源机器学习框架,所以...
Watson says the improved communication with cattle is good for business.
沃森说提高对奶牛的关注可以获利。
Just a 10 percent or 5 percent increase or improvement and productivity means hundreds of thousands of dollars to us.
哪怕产量只增加5%或10%,这对于我们而言也是数十万美金的收入。
Aside from the fact that we just want happier, healthier, more welfare in our animals anyway.
除此之外,我们更希望它们能快乐健康。
Farmer Mary Mackinson Faber uses a technology called the Moocall calving sensor.
玛丽·麦金森·费伯农民使用一种名叫Moocall的产犊传感器。
It monitors spinal contractions in a cow's tail, alerting farmers that a baby is on the way.
它通过监测母牛尾部的脊椎收缩,提醒人们牛犊要出生了。
That if a cow is calving, it'll shoot us a text and we can, you know, come out here and check on it.
如果一头母牛将要生产,它会给我们发短信,我们会赶过来查看情况。
Despite the app on her phone and the cameras in the barn, Faber says the tech is a helping hand not the end of a career.
尽管有手机应用和牲口棚中的摄像头,费伯称该技术帮了我们的忙,而不是事业的终结。
There are certain tasks that it can help with and it can assist us, but I don't think it'll ever replace the human.
有些任务它能够帮上忙,也确实能帮助我们,但我不认为它们会取代人类。
Farmers say the technology makes industrial farming more efficient
农民们称该技术让农业工业化更加高效,
and keeps them better tuned into the animals they used to feed much of the country as well as their families.
让他们更好地掌握牲畜状态,牲畜为国家提供食物来源,同样也可以维持生计。
Arash Arabasadi, VOA news
VOA新闻,阿拉仕·阿拉巴萨第报道。