The MSU Thad Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship has approved a grant for the development of a new research company for MSU employees. MSU animal and science faculty members Scott Willard and Anna Chromiak used the grant to develop Remote Animal Monitoring Solution LLC. In summer 2006, Gerald Nelson, director of the TCEE, approached Willard about awarding a grant for support of a start-up company that Willard wanted to start.
“The Thad Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship and the university were searching for small start-up businesses from faculty, staff and students at MSU,” Chromiak said.
Willard said the TCEE awarded them the money to spin research technology into the animal science industries.
The purpose of the company is to develop the patented technology in animal research to make it available for other livestock producers and scientists. Licensing for RAMS’ services and research instruments are still being processed in the MSU licensing office.
Willard and Chromiak continue to work on a business plan with the help of MBA graduate student Bryon Williams while also researching instruments to use in their business. RAMS’ two main branches are research and service.
RAMS is the only distributor in North America of two instruments from an Iceland-based company, IceRobotics. One of the instruments is a backpack-like apparatus called IceSampler that is strapped to a cow’s back and automatically takes blood samples to monitor daily stress levels.
The other instrument is IceTags. The device attaches to a cow’s legs like a pedometer. If an unusual pattern develops in the cow’s daily walking habits, the animal scientists are able to determine if the cow is about to calf or has a problem.
Chromiack said the company is in the developmental stage of patenting a new device through the university for monitoring differences in temperature and pH balance in cows through an inter-vaginal probe.
One of the services provided by RAMS is the use of thermography, which is the company’s Web site says is a “non-invasive temperature monitoring tool for assessing body surface temperature gradients through infrared imaging.”
The thermal imaging camera picks up hot and cold heat signatures.
Images are taken with a special camera patented through the U.S. government and distributed through FLIR, a thermal imaging company.
The images created by the camera allow animal scientists to fit saddles on horses and detect abscesses and calluses in elephants’ feet to determine the best care for them.
Chromiak also takes images of animals including MSU’s, current mascot TaTonka Gold (Bully XIX), giraffes, horses, gorillas and many more animals. She intends to sell these images as art.
The company has a contract with the Memphis Zoo and the Elephant Sanctuary in Arkansas as well as with many other zoos in the Southern region to take thermal image pictures of elephants’ feet.
RAMS works with racing horse owners and jockeys to help fit saddles for riders to get the best performance out of the horse as well as preserving the horse’s health.
When the licensing agreement is approved, RAMS will expand its services.