Application of a Lightweight, Open-Hardware Wearable System for Robust Behavior Monitoring in Precision Livestock Farming

Precision livestock farming (PLF) is hindered by high costs, infrastructure demands, and complex deployment. To address these barriers, we developed a practical, open-hardware wearable system for real-time movement tracking and behavior classification in pasture-based livestock. The collar-mounted device integrates a 6-axis IMU, GPS, and a low-power microcontroller within a modular architecture, and uses a novel routerless communication protocol to transmit data directly to a base station—eliminating reliance on network infrastructure. The system supports two operational modes: (1) synchronized data logging for video annotation, or (2) real-time embedded behavior classification. A year-long field trial confirmed robust performance, minimal animal disturbance, and resilience under harsh conditions. Remarkably, the system achieved near-perfect true positive rates (>0.95) for both basic and subtle behaviors using only one hour of annotated video for training, drastically reducing labeling effort. All design assets—CAD files, schematics, firmware, bill of materials, and protocols—are openly released to ensure full reproducibility. This work delivers a validated, scalable, and accessible tool that lowers entry barriers for researchers and developers, enabling rapid deployment and community-driven adaptation for diverse livestock applications.