Design Challenge and Design Ideas

Moocall Heat is a revolution in wearable technology. Unlike existing bovine fertility monitoring systems; Moocall Heat is a world first, where the focus of fertility management is on the Bull. Moocall Heat is a heat detection system which uses a smart collar fitted to a bull’s neck in conjunction with specially designed ear-tags to alert farmers to when a cow is in heat, anywhere in the world.
The idea behind Moocall Heat is accurately detecting when a cow and/heifer is in her standing heat and alerting the farmer. The system takes pressure off the farmer trying the watch cattle all the time by delivering real time information of what is happening on their farm.
The design challenge was to create a collar that is robust enough to withstand such a harsh outdoor environment, inherently easy to use for both human and animal and fits seamlessly into this IOT product eco-system.

How the brief was fulfilled

Understanding the power of the animals involved was key to the design of this collar. It comprises of flexible and rigid elements to resist the unpredictable nature of very powerful animals from young Friesian bulls to much larger mature pedigree Belgian blues. Designed to be flexible and robust, the attachment mechanism is simple to secure, which minimises stress for the animal and risk for the farmer.
The form has also been design engineered to maximise impact protection for the internal components and is both easy to clean and highly visible in such a harsh environment
The design of the Moocall heat collar affords that this system works seamlessly for both farmer and animals. Careful consideration of usability for both the farmer and the animal creates a well-executed product ecosystem. Excessively and constantly testing mock-ups and prototypes has translated to a collar that is robust, flexible, comfortable for the animal, and is also safe to use for both animal and human.
This accurate detection of a cow’s heat drastically increases the probability of a successful artificial insemination, which translates to large cost savings and less stress for the farmer.