TeraEgg is starting out slowly with "scaled tests," and a full launch is expected by late 2017.

The terahertz technology could be tremendously appealing to animal welfare advocates, who are understandably upset by the mass deaths of chicks (up to 7 billion every year, Vital Farms says). It won't make you completely happy if you object to eating any animal products, but it would be far kinder than what you see today. And the egg industry should save money in the process. Along with making better use of each egg, it'd let hatcheries reduce the number of inspectors and spend less energy heating eggs. It's theoretically a win for everyone, no matter what you prefer to eat.