At UK academic institutes, modern facial recognition technology is being used in an attempt to detect different emotional states in pigs.
英国的学术机构正在使用现代脸部识别技术来检测猪的情绪状态。
In a press release by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) in Edinburgh, UK, it is described how scientists have teamed up with machine vision experts at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) for the study. It is hoped the study will lead to a tool that can monitor individual animals faces and alert farmers to any health and welfare problems.
据英国爱丁堡的苏格兰农业学院(SRUC)发表的新闻稿，该学院的科学家们与西英格兰大学(UWE Bristol)的机器视觉专家联手进行了这项研究，以期形成一种工具，这种工具可以监测生猪个体面部特征、并在出现健康或福利问题时提醒养殖户。
Say cheese! A pig at SRUC smiles at the camera. Photo: SRUC
茄子！苏格兰农业学院里一头猪正对着镜头微笑。照片：SRUC
Pigs are highly expressive
猪的表现力很强
The university's press release described that pigs are highly expressive. In an earlier article in Nature, SRUC research had already shown that the animals can signal their intentions to other pigs using different facial expressions. There is also evidence of different expressions when they are in pain or under stress, the press release went on to say.
新闻稿提到，猪有很强的表现力。早前英格兰农学院发表在《自然》杂志上的文章中曾提出，猪会通过不同的面部表情向其它猪表明意图，并且有证据显示，猪在遭遇痛苦或应激的情况下有不同的表情。
At SRUC's Pig Research Centre, scientists are currently capturing 3D and 2D facial images of the breeding sow population under various, typical commercial situations that are likely to result in different emotional states. For example, sows can experience lameness and could show different facial expressions relating to pain before and after being given pain relief.
苏格兰农业学院的生猪研究中心里，科学家们目前正在拍摄种母猪在各种典型、可引发不同情绪的商业生产条件中的3D及2D面部图像。比方说，母猪发生跛足时，在镇痛前后会表现出不同的面部表情。
Detecting positive emotional state is more novel but sows are highly food motivated and appear calm and content when satiated, the press release explained. The scientists hope this mood could be reflected in sows’ facial expressions.
新闻稿解释道，检测积极的情绪状态更为新颖，但母猪的进食动机很强，吃饱后会表现出平静和满足，科学家们希望这种情绪可以反映在母猪的面部表情中。
Machine learning techniques can convert images of pig snouts information that can be used on-farm. Photo: SRUC
机器学习技术可以转换猪脸部信息图，可用于猪场中。照片：SRUC
Processing of pig images
生猪图像处理
The press release went on to describe that the images will be processed at UWE Bristol's Centre for Machine Vision, where various machine learning techniques are being developed to automatically identify different emotions conveyed by particular facial expressions. After validating these techniques, the team will develop the technology for on-farm use with commercial partners where individual sows in large herds will be monitored continuously.
新闻稿中写道，这些图片将在西英格兰大学机器学习中心进行处理，这里开发了多种机器学习技术，用于通过特定脸部表情自动识别不同情绪。验证了这些技术之后，该团队将与商业合作伙伴一起开发用于猪场的技术，在猪场中对大群母猪的个体进行持续监测。
Prof Melvyn Smith from UWE Bristol's Centre for Machine Vision, part of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, said: "Machine vision technology offers the potential to realise a low-cost, non-intrusive and practical means to biometrically identify individual animals on the farm. Our work has already demonstrated a 97% accuracy at facial recognition in pigs. Our next step will be, for the first time, to explore the potential for using machine vision to automatically recognise facial expressions that are linked with core emotion states, such as happiness or distress, in the identified pigs."
西英格兰大学机器视觉中心的梅尔文·史密斯教授，同时也是布里斯托机器人实验室的成员，他表示，“机器视觉技术有可能实现一种低成本、非侵入、实用的方法，以生物特征识别生猪个体。在生猪脸部识别上，我们的研究已经达到了97%的准确率。下一步，我们将首次探索利用机器视觉自动识别与核心情绪状态相关的脸部表情的可能性，比如受识别猪的快乐或悲伤等情绪。”
Early identification of pig health issues
及早发现生猪健康问题
Dr Emma Baxter, SRUC, said:"Early identification of pig health issues gives farmers the potential to improve animal well-being by tackling any problems quickly and implementing tailored treatment for individuals. This will reduce production costs by preventing impact of health issues on performance."
苏格兰农业学院的艾玛·巴克斯特博士表示：“对生猪健康问题的及早发现，使养殖户有机会通过快速处理任何出现的问题并对生病个体实施量身定制的治疗措施来改善生猪健康状况。由于预防了健康问题对生产性能的影响，生产成本也得以降低。”
"By focussing on the pig's face, we hope to deliver a truly animal-centric welfare assessment technique, where the animal can 'tell' us how it feels about its own individual experiences and environment. This allows insight into both short-term emotional reactions and long-term individual 'moods' of animals under our care."
“通过对生猪脸部识别的聚焦，我们希望提供一种真正以动物为中心的福利评估技术，通过这种技术，猪可以“告诉”我们它对自己的经历、所处环境的想法。这也让我们能够洞察我们所喂养动物的短期情绪反应及长期个体情绪状态”。
The study, which is being funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is also being supported by industry stakeholders JSR Genetics, Garth Pig Practice and precision livestock specialists Agsenze.
这项由生物技术与生物科学研究理事会（BBSRC）资助的研究，同时也得到了JSR Genetics、Garth Pig Practice及精确畜牧专家Agsenze的支持。
来源：Pig Progress
作者：Vincent ter beek
（文/爱猪网记者刘坤颖编译，爱猪网原创，转载请注明出处）
