Ibarra Vicente, Araya-Salas Marcelo, Tang Yu-ping, Park Charlie, Hyde Anthony, Wright Timothy F, Tang Wei
Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2015 Dec 16;15(12):31751-61. doi: 10.3390/s151229886.
We present an interdisciplinary effort to record feeding behaviors and control the diet of a hummingbird species (Phaethornis longirostris, the long-billed hermit or LBH) by developing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based smart feeder. The system contains an RFID reader, a microcontroller, and a servo-controlled hummingbird feeder opener; the system is presented as a tool for studying the cognitive ability of the LBH species. When equipped with glass capsule RFID tags (which are mounted on the hummingbird), the smart feeder can provide specific diets for predetermined sets of hummingbirds at the discretion of biologists. This is done by reading the unique RFID tag on the hummingbirds and comparing the ID number with the pre-programmed ID numbers stored in the smart feeder. The smart feeder records the time and ID of each hummingbird visit. The system data is stored in a readily available SD card and is powered by two 9 V batteries. The detection range of the system is approximately 9-11 cm. Using this system, biologists can assign the wild hummingbirds to different experimental groups and monitor their diets to determine if they develop a preference to any of the available nectars. During field testing, the smart feeder system has demonstrated consistent detection (when compared to detections observed by video-recordings) of RFID tags on hummingbirds and provides pre-designed nectars varying water and sugar concentrations to target individuals. The smart feeder can be applied to other biological and environmental studies in the future.
我们展示了一项跨学科的努力，通过开发一种基于射频识别（RFID）的智能喂食器来记录蜂鸟物种（长嘴隐蜂鸟，Phaethornis longirostris，简称LBH）的进食行为并控制其饮食。该系统包含一个RFID阅读器、一个微控制器和一个由伺服控制的蜂鸟喂食器开启器；该系统被作为一种研究LBH物种认知能力的工具呈现。当配备玻璃胶囊RFID标签（安装在蜂鸟身上）时，智能喂食器可以根据生物学家的判断为预先确定的蜂鸟群体提供特定饮食。这是通过读取蜂鸟身上独特的RFID标签，并将ID号与存储在智能喂食器中的预编程ID号进行比较来实现的。智能喂食器记录每只蜂鸟来访的时间和ID。系统数据存储在一张易于获取的SD卡中，并由两节9伏电池供电。该系统的检测范围约为9 - 11厘米。使用这个系统，生物学家可以将野生蜂鸟分配到不同的实验组，并监测它们的饮食，以确定它们是否对任何一种可用花蜜产生偏好。在实地测试中，智能喂食器系统已证明能够持续检测（与视频记录观察到的检测情况相比）蜂鸟身上的RFID标签，并为目标个体提供具有不同水和糖浓度的预先设计的花蜜。未来，智能喂食器可应用于其他生物学和环境研究。
