South Korean livestock health management firm uLikeKorea announced the launch of an information and communication technology-based solution to detect symptoms of swine diseases, including African swine fever.

Kim Hee-jin, CEO of uLikeKorea, claimed it is the world’s first and only such solution developed for pig farming.

According to the firm’s press release, it uses a device that is inserted in a pig’s uterus to keep track of its activities, hormone levels and body temperature in real time. The device, which has a battery life of more than one year and is reusable after a battery replacement, sends the data to a server using a long-range communication network. The livestock data is also sent to a cloud server.

An artificial intelligence system, developed by the firm, then analyzes the data and sorts out useful information to help farmers manage their livestock.

In South Korea, the company has already secured patent rights for the technologies used in its new livestock management solution.

The company said it has filed patent applications with authorities in Japan as well as with the Patent Cooperation Treaty to seek patent protection in other countries.

The livestock health management company said it plans to launch the solution during the second half of this year. The company added it intends to tap foreign markets including Denmark, Japan, Brazil and the US with the solution.

Meanwhile, uLikeKorea is developing health management devices for other animals such as sheep, chickens, cattle, calves and horses. 

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)