TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Sun Yat-sen University announced Monday its research team won the National Innovation Award for developing a creatine measuring device for cows.

Professor Chuang Cheng-hsin (莊承鑫), who led the team, said the portable invention allows farmers to detect early muscle loss and adjust feed requirements, thereby improving milk production, per CNA.

NSYSU explained in a press release that the device measures creatinine levels in cow’s urine or serum in just a minute. Creatine is a chemical that supplies energy to muscles and is a sign of muscle mass.

The school said Taiwan’s dairy market has about 50,000 lactating cows, with an average pregnancy rate of 2.6 births per cow. Assuming each cow produces milk for 305 days per lactation at 30 kilograms per day, the invention could generate an additional NT$4.1 billion (US$125 billion) annually, the school explained.

Chuang said the technology can target the 50 million lactating cows in the global market. He also envisions applications in healthcare, such as self-testing for sarcopenia prevention.

Additionally, the National Science and Technology Council approved the device for larger experimentation work. It will transition from lab testing to farms, monitoring the health of 20–30 cows while building a cloud-based management platform.