Point Cloud Reconstruction and Body Size Measurement of a Contactless Pig Body

Monitoring the growth and body condition of fattening pigs is essential for the optimal management of modern pig farms. However, there is limited monitoring on commercial farms. Body size parameters can be utilized as crucial indicators for adjusting feed, grouping, and assessing the meat performance and growth of fattening pigs. The monocular CCD camera utilized for body measurements is affected by factors such as angle and light source, resulting in measurement errors and potential challenges. To address these challenges, employing synchronized acquisition of point cloud data using a depth camera, followed by 3D point cloud reconstruction, offers a viable solution. Through a comparative analysis of experimental measurements and manual measurements taken from various angles, the average relative error of body length, body height, body width, rump height, and rump width in pig body data is found to be 4.63 %, 3.87%, 2.87%, 2.51 %, and 1.86%, respectively. These technological advancements hold great promise for further development, offering an innovative approach to optimize fattening pig rearing practices in the future.