How does the SmartBolus®
device get read?
The bolus is active; it transmits
the data over radio
regularly throughout the day to a
repeater at the edge of the pen.
The repeater then
forwards the data to
the office computer/software where the
data is analyzed and stored in a
database.
How long does the SmartBolus®
device last?
The
SmartBolus® device
has an expected battery life of four years,
given good repeater coverage and typical
usage. The operation of the
SmartBolus® device is
configurable; reducing the sensor
sampling or radio reporting will extend
the battery life.
How far does it transmit?
The
SmartBolus® device has a range of about 400 feet
(122 meters) to the
repeater in covered pens or barns, 600
feet (183 meters) in open
pens, and 2 miles
(3.2 km) from the
repeater to the computer storing and
reporting the data. Longer ranges
from the repeater to the office
are
possible with higher power repeater
radio options.
Why not just take a reading as
the cow enters or leaves the parlor?
Mainly two reasons: 1) It is beneficial
to also get data on cows that are not
currently going through the parlor (e.g.
far-off, close-up, and hospital
pens). 2) Taking
temperatures once or twice per day is
not sufficient when you consider that
the cow may be drinking around the time
they go to
the parlor (the temperature
of the drinking water is much lower
than a cow's core temperature).
What are the advantages of
collecting both internal temperature and
motion?
The
SmartBolus® device samples
internal temperature and motion.
Together, temperature and motion provide
a more complete view of an
animals
health, digestion, and breeding status
than temperature or motion alone.
In addition, internal temperature and
motion provides more
insight that
external temperature and motion.
For example, a device on the outside of
the animal cannot measure the stomach
temperature or
stomach motion; the
SmartBolus® device does both,
giving a more complete picture of the
animal. Issues such as acidosis
and LDA
(Left-Displaced Abomasum) can be
detected by the
SmartBolus® system.
What size of cattle has the
SmartBolus® device been used
in?
The
SmartBolus® device has been
used in 350 pound calves, heifers, and
cows.
Can I put a replacement SmartBolus®
device in an animal that already has a
SmartBolus® device inside?
Yes, an animal can
have more than one
SmartBolus® devices at the
same time, there is no interference.
How many SmartBolus®
devices have been inside a commercial
dairy cow at one time?
There have been a total of four
SmartBolus® devices at the
same time inside high-producing US dairy
cows with no detrimental effects.
Why doesn't the SmartBolus®
device either get regurgitated with cud
or pass through the animal?
The
SmartBolus® device was
designed and tested to ensure that it
stays in the reticulum of the animal.
Do cow magnets cause problems
for the SmartBolus® device?
No. The
SmartBolus® device was
designed and tested to ensure that cow
magnets have no effect.
To save cost, I do not want to
purchase the recommended number of
repeaters; what is the effect of
insufficient repeater coverage?
First of all, repeaters have an expected
life of 10 years, and given one repeater
per 200-250 animals, over 10 years the
repeater cost is very
low. The
SmartBolus® device was
designed to operate most efficiently in
an environment with repeater coverage.
Without sufficient repeater
coverage,
the
SmartBolus® device will not
be able to reliably report its sensor
data, and will expend its battery life
faster than in good repeater
coverage.
The net effect is that this will cost
you more in than the cost of having
sufficient repeaters.
Does the bolus
provide a unique tracking ID for the
cow?
Yes, each bolus has
a unique internal identifier (MAC Id) which is
transmitted wirelessly.
Does the bolus replace my
current RFID system?
The bolus system does provide a
unique identifier but does not replace a wanding type of system.
Won't the system have problems with
metal buildings?
We have installed systems at dairies
with lots of low tin roofing and had no
problem. We always do a site
survey before each install to ensure we
locate the repeaters in the best places.
How hard is the installation?
Is there any special wiring required?
The system is essentially wireless.
The repeaters are typically solar
powered and can be mounted on the edge
of a pen without any wiring. For
indoor barns, AC-wiring may be
required if there is not adequate light. The
bolus is, of course, wireless.
Occasionally an outdoor antenna is used
at the office computer, in which case
there would be a little wiring for that
antenna.
Is a special computer required?
A Windows XP® computer is required.
It needs to be in good working order but
does not need to be dedicated. A
battery backup (UPS) for the
computer is
required.
Is there any difficulty getting
the cow to swallow the bolus?
No, it's quite straight-forward using a
balling-gun. The following is a link to a short video of bolus
being inserted.
Details
How many cows (SmartBolus®
devices) can the
system support?
The number is effectively unlimited.
How many cows (SmartBolus®
devices) can use one repeater regularly?
Typically around 200-250 cows per repeater.
The practical limit is the number of
SmartBolus® devices using
their radio at the same time. The
SmartBolus® devices use a
sophisticated method of spacing out
their radio reporting over time so that
they do not interfere with each other,
and
they do retry if they fail to report
as scheduled.
Does overlapping repeater
coverage (repeaters less than 800 feet /
244 meters apart) cause any problems?
Overlapping repeater coverage causes
no issues. An advantage of
overlapping repeater coverage is that
this provides redundant coverage so
that
if one repeater fails the pen still has
repeater coverage.
Is a connection required from
the computer to the Internet?
It is strongly recommended (for
support).
What human languages does the SmartBolus®
system support?
The SmartBolus® system
materials and software is written in
American English. The system will
be localized to meet customer
requirements in
regions worldwide.
The fastest way to get the system into
your language would be a pre-paid order
of the system.
What units does the SmartBolus®
system standalone software display
temperature values in?
The SmartBolus® system
software displays both metric (Celsius)
and English measurements as selected by
the user. For example,
temperatures
are shown as either in
Celsius or Farenheit.
What herd management software supports
the SmartBolus® system?
The SmartBolus® system
includes standalone TenXsys software
that includes access to all alerts and
data. In addition, the SmartBolus®
system
is integrated into DHI-Provo's
Temperature and Motion package for
DHI-Plus.
Can the standalone SmartBolus® system
software be configured to send email
alerts of animals with readings out of
range?
Yes, the SmartBolus® system
includes standalone TenXsys software
that includes email alerts and
summary data. For example, email
alerts
include the tag number of any
animal with temperature or motion values
indicating an abnormal condition that
should be investigated (high
temperature, high motion, etc.).
In what regions/countries is the
SmartBolus® system being
sold?
The SmartBolus® system is
being sold in the United States of
America and Canada. The system
will be sold first in countries that
accept FCC
regulations; in general, this
is most countries except those in the
EU. A version of the SmartBolus®
system suitable for the EU is planned
for
2011.
If I'm interested in trying the
SmartBolus® system how do I proceed?
Contact us by
phone or send us an email at
sbsales@SmartBolus.com for further
information.
