Chinese AI startup spreads facial recognition, one cow at a time

System monitors livestock health to boost productivity as labor costs rise

20181221_cow recognition_2

Zhao's system can identify cows at an accuracy rate of 90% when the animals are feeding.

COCO LIU and SHUNSUKE TABETA, Nikkei staff writers

YECHANG, China/HONG KONG -- Piles of manure and swarming flies make the Brother Farm deep in northern China seem unremarkable at first glance, but a quick look at its milking facility suggests this is no ordinary dairy farm.

Four overhead cameras capture one image per second of cows as they arrive to be milked. The photos are being used to develop one of China's most advanced agricultural technologies.

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