Lola
An AI-powered computer vision system for automated cattle counting and livestock monitoring using aerial drone video.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Vision
- Machine Learning
- Backend Architecture
- Real-Time Systems
- Product Development
- Bootcamp
Lola began during Plum’s Bootcamp, when a junior team took on a real agricultural challenge: how can we improve the way livestock is counted and monitored in the field?
In many agricultural operations, herd counting and monitoring still rely on manual inspection or visual estimation. These processes consume time, depend heavily on human experience, do not always scale efficiently across larger operations and/or can cause stress in the cattle.
When people hear “artificial intelligence,” we often think of chatbots, text generation or synthetic images. Those are powerful tools. But artificial intelligence can also take another form: systems trained to interpret visual information from the physical world.
This project explores that dimension of AI.
Using aerial drone footage and a custom-trained computer vision model, Lola detects and counts cattle in real field conditions. The system processes video - live or recorded - and converts imagery into structured operational data.
In simple terms, the drone flies over the herd, the system analyzes the footage, identifies each animal it has learned to recognize, and translates what it sees into clear, measurable numbers.
Lola currently functions as a validated prototype with a clear path toward productization and expanded capabilities.