SBIR Phase I: Horse Visual Identification System

小企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将产生更广泛的影响，因为它将使用基于人工智能(AI)的面部识别为马和其他需要接种疫苗以节育和接种疾病的动物创建一个独特的识别系统。需要识别需要远程接种疫苗的野马和其他野生动物，以使种群不会接种过多/接种不足。人工或使用远程技术接种疫苗的方法是存在的，但目前大多数方法昂贵、不人道或效率低下，识别仅限于照片、草图、存储器或RFID微芯片。联邦机构目前花费了超过1亿美元来处理这个问题。面部识别系统以及远程疫苗接种在国内外的商业机会是巨大的。野生动物管理者将能够缓解不健康的过度拥挤，并允许牲畜和家畜与其他物种共存。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将远程自主地控制野外野马种群的爆炸。在开阔的牧场上大约有9万匹野马，比允许的最大水平高出6万匹。这是对共享土地的马和其他动物来说是安全的水平。有必要为马匹接种避孕疫苗，这对控制马匹数量是必要的。该项目将开发一个使用面部识别技术的马匹人工智能(AI)识别系统，并将其与饲养站的远程自动疫苗接种相结合，以确保野马正确接种节育疫苗和疾病疫苗。基于面部识别的综合识别系统不仅对野马接种疫苗，还对鹿等其他野生物种以及家畜产生了商业和社会影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will result from creating a unique identification system using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition for horses and other animals that require vaccinations for birth control and disease inoculation. Wild horses and other wildlife that require remote vaccinations need to be identified so that populations are not over/under vaccinated. The means to vaccinate either manually or using remote technology exists, but most current methods are expensive, inhumane, or inefficient and identification is limited to photographs, sketches, memory, or RFID microchips. Federal agencies currently spend well over one hundred million dollars to deal with the problem. The commercial opportunity for a facial recognition system along with remote vaccination in this country and abroad is substantial. Wildlife managers will be able to relieve unhealthy overcrowding and allow livestock and domestic animals to co-exist with other species. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will remotely and autonomously control the explosion of the wild horse populations on the open range. There are approximately 90,000 wild horses on the open range, which is 60,000 over the allowed maximum level. This is the level which is safe for horses and other animals which share the land. The need to vaccinate horses with contraceptive birth control is necessary to control the population. This project will develop an artificial intelligence (AI) identification system for horses using facial recognition technology and couple this with remote automated vaccination at feeding stations to ensure wild horses are correctly vaccinated for birth control and inoculated against disease. A comprehensive identification system based on facial recognition has commercial and societal impact beyond vaccinations for wild horses, extending to other wild species such as deer, and also to livestock.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.