Our Process
We control the environmental conditions in the incubator during embryonic development by applying sound vibration in a patented combination of frequencies and volumes and by affecting the humidity and temperatures within the incubator. These parameters are tracked and monitored in real time for data collection and technical malfunctions detection.
Our treatment is safe for the embryos, non-intrusive to the eggs, and does not involve any form of genetic modification or hormonal intervention.
Hardware
Our technology is the first in the world to use sound waves to affect the sex development process in poultry embryos. The solution is scalable and affects all incubated eggs simultaneously by using a unique egg-tray – the “Smart Tray”. Each tray in the hatchery is equipped with motion sensors that measure the sound vibration energy that the eggs sense, and transmission devices that transmit sound vibration to the incubated embryos. The vibration moves across the tray all the way to the eggs, making the egg a membrane transmitting the sound to the embryo.
Software
The motion sensors sample sound data during incubation stage and allow us to accumulate a massive amount of time-series incubation data, that we continuously analyze using our “soository” system. The “Soository” system is a core component of our technology: A cloud-native data-repository for hatching cycle real-time monitoring that allows hatching data collection and analysis. The system aggregates acoustic and biological data for the life cycle of each egg – from embryo to mature egg laying hen. The biological data includes egg positioning, chick sex after hatching, pullet performance, layer egg-laying performance, layer health, and egg quality indicators.
Data collection and analysis
The data collected in our “Soository” system is used to search a favorable hatching protocol. An in-house data collection and visualization platform allows the SOOS research team to identify “hot spots” in the hatchery where a statistically significant majority of female chicks hatched. The acoustic profile at these hot spots is compared to the acoustic profile at the cold spots. The “difference” between time-series at hot versus cold spots is back-translated to an update in the acoustic profile, for the next experiment. This “bio-feedback” gradient ascent methodology is being applied in various locations worldwide, with promising results, allowing a reproducible female majority.
