Analyzing a pig's walk to predict health problems

According to researchers at Newcastle University in England, Miss Piggy isn't the only porker out there who likes to strut her stuff. Grad student Sophia Stavrakakis and colleagues are characterizing the way a female pig walks to determine its likelihood of eventually becoming lame, a problem that Stavrakakis estimates afflicts 10% to 20% of breeding pigs worldwide. To do this, the team has trained pigs to follow a stick with a red ball on its end. The scientists can then lead the pigs, which are affixed with reflective markers, in front of several motion capture cameras. The cameras help generate three-dimensional data related to the length of a pig's stride as well as the angles exhibited by the pig's elbows and knees. The star porkers are being monitored at intervals over the course of their lives. The team hopes that such metrics will help farmers pinpoint at-risk swine in need of preventive care, thereby minimizing costly livestock fatalities.