Egg Geometrical Index: Encompassing a wide range of avian egg profiles with potential for novel AI applications in research and industry

Geometric indices of bird eggs are numerical parameters describing their shape, size and proportions, with great potential for applications in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The presence of a universal mathematical indicator characterizing the profile of certain eggs can be invaluable for scientific and practical aspects. This study aimed to derive an integral indicator termed Egg Geometrical Index (EggGI). It incorporated the values of three main geometric egg indices: shape index, asymmetry index, and conicity index. We established that the shape index, i.e., the ratio of the maximum breadth of the egg to its length, has the greatest impact on the EggGI value. Herewith, EggGI had a significant positive correlation with the metabolic index (the ratio of the surface area of the egg to its volume). The methodological approaches herein describe the use of EggGI to look into its relationship with hatching results, physiological features of embryonic development and evolutionary changes in geometric egg shape. The proposed innovative technological approach can help not only to describe eggs externally based on a new integral shape index, but also to investigate possible correlation with some inner variables. This could serve as the basis for imaging eggs of a specific (desired) shape using AI-assisted technology advancements in poultry production chains. The EggGI value may also contribute to the effectiveness of further studies to establish the relationship between shape and content parameters of avian eggs.

Highlights:

• Integral indicators of egg geometry have great potential for AI and ML applications.

• We derived Egg Geometrical Index (EggGI) that comprise three main egg shape indices.

• EggGI is highly correlated with shape index (B/L) as well as metabolic index (S/V).

• The new index is applicable in ornithology, ecology and evolutionary biology studies.

• It is also usable for imaging eggs in AI technologies in poultry production chains.