Method and system for spectral determination of egg gender and fertility

A method for detecting a state of an egg, the method comprising:

• illuminating an egg with a plurality of light pulses, each one of said plurality of light pulses having:
• a wavelength between about 400 nanometer (nm) and about 1500 nm,
• a width between about 0.5 picoseconds (ps) and about 500 ps, and
• an intensity between about 0.1 milliJoule (mJ) and about 100 mJ;
• capturing a reflection of at least a portion of the plurality of light pulses at a temporal resolution of between about 0.5 ps and about 500 ps;
• analyzing the captured reflection to determine at least one spectrum of each of said plurality of light pulses;
• and
• classifying at least one of a gender and a fertility state of said egg according to said at least one spectrum.

A system for detecting a condition of an egg, the system comprising:

• a light source for illuminating the egg with a plurality of light pulses, each one of said plurality of light pulses having:
• a wavelength between about 400 nanometer (nm) and about 1500 nm,
• a width between about 0.5 picoseconds (ps) and about 500 ps, and
• an intensity between about 0.1 milliJoule (mJ) and about 100 mJ;
• a detector for capturing a reflection of at least a portion of the plurality of light pulses at a time delay corresponding to light reflected from within said egg in an interval of between about 1 mm and about 20 mm;
• a processor for analyzing the captured reflection to determine at least one spectrum of each of said plurality of light pulses so as to classify at least one of a gender and a fertility state of said egg according to said at least one spectrum.