At 1:30 PM, Monday, August 18, 2025, in Room P307, the Center for Excellence in Research and Innovation, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the Strong Research Group “Big Data and Digital Transformation” held an academic seminar with the participation of lecturers and researchers interested in digital technology, big data, and their practical applications in agriculture.
Within the framework of the seminar, the speakers presented several technologies and solutions in both hardwares and softwares that had been implemented and showed potential for practical application in livestock production, as well as discussed additional possible applications.
MSc. Luong Minh Quan gives a presention on thermal cameras.
The first presentation entitled “Introduction to Thermal Cameras and Prospects for Application in High-Tech Agriculture” was delivered by MSc. Luong Minh Quan. The presentation introduced the structure and operating principles of thermal cameras and highlighted the important applications of thermal image analysis in detecting early signs of leaf dehydration, injuries in animals and livestock, etc. These studies played a crucial role in forecasting, thereby improving productivity, conserving resources, and moving toward a modern, environmentally friendly agriculture.
Following this was a report by MSc. Nguyen Van Hoang on “The Application of AI on Ultrasound Images for Predicting Intramuscular Fat Content”.
MSc. Nguyen Van Hoang presents AI applications in ultrasound images.
The presentation addressed several recent approaches to applying deep learning models in predicting intramuscular fat (IMF) content based on ultrasound images. These approaches all shared a standard labeling method based on chemical analysis results, such as Soxhlet extraction, the Folch method, or the Bligh & Dyer method. The drawback of the chemical analysis was that it was time-consuming, destructive to samples, and could not be applied to live animals. Therefore, research costs were very high due to the need for relatively large sampling. This challenge was raised by the presenter for discussion with lecturers and researchers attending the seminar in an attempt to seek feasible solutions to meet practical requirements.
The final presentation was delivered by MSc. Pham Thi Lan Anh on “Exploring the Biotronics System in Predicting Intramuscular Fat in Pigs”.
MSc. Pham Thi Lan Anh gives a presentation on the Biotronics system.
Biotronics was a system that used digital ultrasound and specialized image analysis software to determine parameters such as intramuscular fat content (IMF), backfat thickness, and loin eye area, which helped to reduce waste, eliminate the need for carcass dissection, and protect valuable breeding herds. The presentation gave an overview of the Biotronics system, focusing on its application in predicting IMF in pigs. The system’s main limitation was that accuracy depended on the measuring device, the operator, and required calibration models based on chemical methods, similar to what was presented by MSc. Nguyen Van Hoang. However, with Biotronics already in use in more than 130 countries, its success provided motivation for the research group to explore the development of similar, lower-cost systems.
After each presentation, the speakers and participants engaged in lively and constructive discussions on the applied research of thermal cameras as well as AI models for livestock farming and breeding in the future.