Research project
SmartStressMonitor
The discovery, development and safety of most medications critically relies on experiments on animals. This requires humans to provide a high standard of care for the animals.
In animal facilities, animal caretakers routinely observe animals to determine whether any individual in a cage is distressed. However, distress monitoring typically occurs only once a day, which can lead to distress remaining undetected for up to a day.
In the SmartStressMonitor project, we will develop the underlying technology for a commercial, automatic distress monitoring system for mice and rats in their home cages. We will use recent advances in AI analysis and acoustic sensing technology to track their movements and vocalizations and estimate the distress of individual animals which are socially housed. This will be performed in real-time to rapidly inform animal caretakers.
The role of Noldus
Noldus will develop innovative AI-based software for analysis of behaviors that cannot currently be monitored, such as welfare states. In addition it will develop an integration platform for the various data streams.
Partners
Noldus is the project leader. The other partners are CAE Software and Systems, Kubion GmbH, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Centre.
Funding
The project is financed by the Interreg program for cross-border cooperation between Germany and the Netherlands. The funding bodies contributing to this project are the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Province of Gelderland, the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony State Chancellery as well as the project partners.
More information
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