Bench Talk

(Source: Mouser Electronics)

These days, it can be difficult to keep organized and on schedule. Where are we supposed to be, and when? Where will the family be at any given time? Calendars and day planners can help, but let's say that the family you're trying to keep track of consists of thousands of individuals who weigh around 2,000 pounds each and tend to roam toward their favorite food—say, on a dairy farm. It's a modern challenge accepted by Belgian technology provider Pozyx, a leader in indoor real-time location systems (RTLS) based on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. Over the years, Pozyx has repeatedly demonstrated how innovation in ultra-accurate location technology optimizes industry efficiency and advances truly smart manufacturing.

Bullish on Cardboard Farming

Pozyx was a new start-up company when an international leader in dairy farming first contacted them in 2017 about monitoring cattle. The dairy farmers had been using pedometers to track their cows' activity but also wanted to monitor their movement and behavior in and out of their barns. The data would be used to monitor reproduction cycles and productivity and to improve the herds' overall health. At the time, the problem was that UWB solutions were expensive, hard to implement, and hard to scale.

Qorvo has a long history of partnering with Pozyx. As a UWB technology leader, Qorvo has a wide-ranging ecosystem of partners who are actively working to drive UWB adoption in new and exciting ways.

Pozyx and its partners assembled a diverse team of software developers, animal behavior researchers, project managers, and farmers. They faced plenty of challenges, such as scaling up the tracking system to handle thousands of animals across large areas and developing an ear tag that could withstand not just the elements but also the cows themselves.

After weeks of work, the project boiled down to a pivotal demonstration, which laid the foundation for a partnership that redefined Pozyx's trajectory.

"We felt that this demonstration was important, and we committed the entire company to bringing this use-case to life," said Pozyx co-founder Samuel Van de Velde. "We transformed our office into a small barn, with cow cubicles and stacks of hay. We created some cardboard cows and attached trackers to them."

Van de Velde continued, "One member of the team, who was particularly good at drawing, drew up a barn floorplan and displayed the cows on a screen, moving in real time. In this application, UWB technology is used to track the location of cows inside the farms accurately. This allows farmers to easily find the right cow and provides the data for AI algorithms to accurately determine animal health or detect when a cow is ready to have a calf. With tens of thousands of cows equipped with this system every month, it's arguably the largest application of UWB technology to date for a non-consumer application."

The demonstration (complete with people running around the office acting like livestock) was a success. Ultimately, the demonstration and a detailed proposal plan led to a partnership that would last for years. In 2023, the dairy industry and Pozyx launched one of the most significant applications of UWB technology in a non-consumer setting and helped revolutionize dairy farming.

"After almost six years of development and successful pilots with very enthusiastic farmers, the product was finally launched," Van de Velde said. "We have learned a great deal during this journey. We have become much more of a cow expert than we ever imagined. We also learned a lot about working together with a large company and what's involved in bringing a new product to the market."

One significant product in this area is Qorvo’s DWM1000 module, which is based on the DW1000 UWB transceiver IC and integrates an antenna, all RF circuitry, power management, and clock circuitry. Used in two-way ranging or time-difference-of-arrival (TDoA) location systems to locate assets to a precision of 10cm, the DWM1000 supports data rates of up to 6.8Mbps.

Scalability Stampede

Pozyx focused on scalability in various aspects, from an RTLS setup and maintenance to production and international UWB certification. They streamlined the installation processes, ensured maintenance would be straightforward, and set up automated production lines to meet the demands of large-scale deployment.

The system required UWB positioning points deployed throughout the barn, with at least three in range of each ear tag for accurate positioning. The UWB technology enabled both positioning and data communications, offering flexibility and scalability in monitoring the cows. Currently, hundreds of farms are using the system, some with just a few hundred head of cattle and others with as many as 10,000 cows. Each tagged animal is used to capture data and generate algorithms that integrate an AI model of their behavior. Cows live in multiple barns and can roam freely while the UWB solution tracks them. Data from the ear tags is collected every two seconds, and the system can be configured based on the dairy farmer’s needs.

When it comes to asset-tracking applications, the Qorvo DWM3000EVB Arduino Shield is a good solution for this kind of design. The shield includes an onboard DWM3000 UWB module, which integrates the Qorvo DW3110 UWB transceiver IC, an antenna, power management, and clock control.

Riding Off into the Sunset

In this example, UWB technology transformed dairy farming, offering farmers a comprehensive monitoring solution that enhances animal welfare, productivity, and overall farm efficiency. Pozyx's journey from a small start-up to a UWB applications leader demonstrates the power of innovation and collaboration in driving technological advancements.