“It’s not easy being green”: Georgia-based AgVoice to foster sustainability, environmental goals

farmland

The world’s population is at 7.6 billion and growing. With more mouths to feed than ever before, agriculture needs to keep up with the demands. Bruce Rasa, CEO of a program development called AgVoice, wants to help with the demands; after all, he has been in agriculture for some time. “I want to bring the power of technology to the farms and ranches to solve simple problems, enabling ag professionals to produce healthy food for the needs of a growing global population,” said Rasa in a statement from the AgVoice website.

To summarize, AgVoice is a mobile voice-interaction service that uses proprietary analytics and processing of raw voice files to capture insights via Bluetooth. The voice data that is collected can later be used for note-taking and analytics purposes. The recordings are also time-stamped and geolocated, which comes in handy when customers want to know about the origin, treatment and quality of their food.

“Agriculture is Georgia’s largest sector by number of workers. However, it is the least digitized sector, according to a recent study,” said Rasa in an interview with Hypepotamus. “We see an amazing global opportunity to serve not only our core customers, but have our data make a positive impact down the food chain. We want to champion the individual and help them get more productive.”

The program aims to optimize the use of resources in crop and animal production, which translates to positive impacts on the environment and helps users to achieve sustainability goals; AgVoice can also improve workflow management and documentation accuracy.

AgVoice is designed for use across the food and agriculture ecosystem, including livestock and crop production, agronomy, animal health and wellness, and machinery repair. The program is set to launch sometime in 2018. More information about AgVoice can be found by clicking here.

Are you developing a program that will help sustainability and environmental efforts in the agriculture sector? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Georgia. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Georgia, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Callbox Storage: The Dallas-based startup that does the heavy lifting

Moving box

Is your home overflowing with furniture, clothes, books, pets, Christmas decorations and a plethora of other items? Thinking of an extreme minimalist purge but can’t bear to part with some much-loved items?

Enter: Callbox Storage.

This Dallas-based company offers a game-changing system that takes the hassle and anxiety out of self-storage.  Many are reluctant to use self-storage services because they’re afraid they’d lose track of all their worldly possessions or it would be too difficult to drag everything from Point A to Point B. As Marty Sabota of the Star-Telegram noted, “There’s loading, hauling and keeping track of everything from trash to treasures. And the headache of trying to retrieve something can be frustrating.”Founders Dan Slaven and Kyle Bainter understood this and were keen on using a tech-based approach to improve storage systems.

From pick-up, itemization, organization, storage, and even delivering requested items, CallBox Storage is disrupting the self-storage market. Customers can easily track every item in their storage unit using CallBox Storage’s online and secure photo inventory. If a customer wanted to retrieve his or her Christmas decorations, for example, the customer can request items through Callbox and the company delivers it to and from the customer’s storage unit, similar to Amazon. Items are given a barcode and are scanned multiple times throughout the transportation process, ensuring that nothing disappears unexpectedly.

“To date, we haven’t lost a single item,” Bainter proudly said.

Founded in September 2016, Callbox Storage focused initially on North Texas in Dallas and eventually expanded into Austin and Houston. This month, it will run its services in Phoenix, Arizona, the first venture outside of its Texas home base.

Bainter explained, “Real estate prices are going up, home values are going up, which means the space people can afford is going down, so this type of option becomes very valuable to them because we can be that extra closet, we can be that extra garage so people can live in smaller quarters and have more space.”

Are you developing new technologies to improve self-storage? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Virtual Spaces to Physical Places: Startup in Atlanta uses VR to interpret, 3D print design plans

house

Visualization is critical to the existence of the interior design and architecture industries; both would not exist without some sort of visual element. Vippo, an Atlanta-based startup, wants to bring piece of mind to designers, contractors and their clients when creating the perfect space, and will do so, thanks to its new VR planning technology, VIMaec. It’s good news for those who do not have a design, contracting or engineering background.

“So part of the beauty of our technology is we can incorporate all the engineering files and the architectural files into one, and that can be seen in both in VR or as an executable on any computer that you have. This can help an owner actually experience the space that they want to build as opposed to getting a 2D set of paper plans and trying to imagine it,” Vippo CEO and co-founder, Kirkland Brooks said.

The VIMaec technology will allow multiple paths of information to be combined, which is great since there are, normally, many hands and minds working on a single project at a time. “A major differentiator separating [Vippo] from the competition is being able to incorporate the engineering plans, something most architectural visualization firms aren’t doing,” Brooks said. The combination of information from designers and architects allows for quick error detection, which reduces costs and improves the time efficiency when completing a project. “One thing that you could do is actually save quite a bit of money by being able to see if there are glaring issues and being able to take care of that in the software as opposed to having to do massive change orders later,” Brooks continued.

Designs can also be brought to life via 3D printing. “Physical models have been used throughout time to show architectural design. At Vippo, we continue that tradition with our own style of physical modeling capabilities. These models can be produced quickly and cost-effectively, using 3D printed processes,” a quotation from the Vippo website said.

According to Brooks, VR modeling technology is going to be the future of designing.

Are you advancing VR to bridge learning gaps or to make a job more efficient? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Georgia. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Georgia, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Preventing School Shootings in Texas: App encourages youth to collaborate with officials

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In a world dominated by smartphone usage, a developer has created a solution for bridging the gap between an unlikely duo: law enforcement officials and students. How so? By way of an app, of course.

Developed by Microassist, a primary training vendor for the State of Texas, the DPS (Department of Public Safety) application, iWatch Texas, will allow teachers, students and parents to report anything deemed suspicious, which in return could save numerous lives.

“It’s the first statewide mobile app of its kind in the U.S. that helps citizens track, identify and report on potential criminal activity. With the rise of the mobile generation, organizations with mission critical content – like DPS – greatly benefit from expanding their reach to a wider and technologically oriented audience,” said Microassist’s CEO, Sanjay Nasta in an official press release on the company’s website.

“Making sure the information is forwarded to the correct agency is a big part of this. Before, the information might now go to the right people, might not go in a timely manner, might not be there when the information is needed,” said Lieutenant Nick Bristow of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. “[The application] gives law enforcement and school administrators a chance to intervene before it’s too late.”

The app already encompasses useful features, such as information on most wanted fugitives, sex offenders and human trafficking. Reports are transmitted to the Austin Regional Intelligence Center (North Texas Fusion Center in McKinney for the Dallas/Fort Worth area) where the information is then vetted and passed along to analysts from local, state and federal agencies. The information is used to gather intelligence and vet security threats, and is then passed on to local law enforcement agencies and school districts, respectively.

The suspicious activity reporting feature mentioned in this article will have a separate application in the future, according to an article by NBCDFW. The iWatch Texas application, along with an official overview, can be found by clicking here.

Are you developing an application that can save lives? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Saving Lives—with Wallpaper?: Researchers design wallpaper that detects fire

fire kitchen safety

If you’re redecorating your home, consider wallpaper; it may save your life.

At the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Ying-Jie Zhu and a team of researchers have developed a wallpaper that is made from environmentally friendly, non-flammable materials. On top of this impressive feat, the wallpaper can also prevent the spread of a fire and set off an alarm when there is a fire present. This development is great news for those who wish to be a bit more conscious of their interior surroundings. Traditional wallpaper is highly flammable because it is made up of plant cellulose fibers–not exactly something you want to line your walls with should you wish to prevent a fire from spreading.

The flame retardant paper is thanks to the same component that is found in bones and teeth: hydroxyapatite. The nanowires that are within the paper are coated with the hydroxyapatite substance. In an interview with Phys.org, Zhu said “the fire-resistant wallpaper has a white color, mechanical robustness, and high flexibility, it can be processed into various shapes, dyed with different colors, and printed with a commercial printer. Therefore, the fire alarm fire-resistant wallpaper has promising applications in high-safety interior decoration to save human lives and reduce the loss of property in a fire disaster.”

The nanowires that connect to the alarm are dependent on the burn off of graphene oxide–the material that, when completely burned off, cannot complete the circuit and set off the alarm. The researchers found this substance burned off too quickly, thus only set the alarm off for three seconds–not long enough to awaken a sound sleeper. To overcome this problem, the researchers modified the graphene with polydopamine, a natural polymer, which reduces the thermal response of the compound, thus allowing the alarm to sound for over five minutes. Graphene oxide also acts as an insulating material for electricity at room temperature, and when exposed to heat, becomes highly conductive–perfect for a sensor to set off an alarm.

The researchers hope to expand and increase production of the wallpaper while remaining environmentally conscious.

For a more information on the wallpaper, please click here.

 

Are you developing a technology or material that can save lives? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

“Gaming for Everyone”: Microsoft designs accessibility controller for Xbox One

588533 xbox adaptive controller

Playing the latest game on an Xbox is an easy, straightforward process for most–at least when using the controller. There’s the triggers, bumpers, face buttons, a directional pad, sticks and the iconic green guide button in the center. The question is, if you’re a gamer like Mike Luckett, how do you continue to play the latest games when the controller does not accommodate the needs of a person who has lost all finger control? After a motorcycle accident, Luckett severed his C6 spinal cord, and despite being able to move his hands, he lost the ability to control his fingers. After telling CNET he “nearly decided to quit gaming,” Luckett won’t have to.

Microsoft has developed an accessible controller for those who can’t use the traditional one, appropriately naming it the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The new controller, for $99.99, allows users of all abilities to plug switches, buttons, pressure-sensitive tubes and other attachments as desired. “We’re coming up on 2 billion people playing video games on this planet,” said Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft’s Xbox team. “As an industry, when you start to hit that kind of impact act in terms of the broad base of people that interact with your art form, I do think we have a social responsibility.”

Image: Microsoft

For specific details on how this innovative controller works, CNET observed Luckett and said that “the key feature of the Xbox Adaptive Controller is that it has ports in its back that represent each button on a standard controller. So if Luckett needs the right-trigger button to be placed just near his elbow, for example, he can put one there and then plug it into the back of the adaptive controller. Now all he has to do is tap the button, and it registers as if he’d pulled the trigger on a standard controller.”

The Xbox Adaptive Controller will be available sometime this year. A detailed development timeline and more information about the controller can be found by clicking here.

Are you developing a technology that improves the lives of those with accessibility needs? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Garbage to Luxury Fashion: Parley creates sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastic

oceanplastic

Riddle time! What circles the Earth four times in the run of a year, uses eight percent of the world’s oil production and takes 500-1000 years to degrade? Answer: plastic.

Image: Dezeen

The world’s oceans are being smothered by plastic; billions of pounds are circling in the waters (called gyres), and currently 40 percent of the ocean’s surface is covered. That number is also modest. If these facts aren’t concerning, feel free to read a few more by clicking here.

Despite the alarming statistics, one company has taken advantage of the plastic mayhem. Parley for the Oceans, in partnership with Corona (yes, the beer company), is taking ocean plastic and turning it into limited-edition sunglasses—high-fashion ones, might we add.

The glasses come in White Flag, Coral Sand and Reef Camo. The textures are made from low-quality grades of plastic, such as polypropylene and upcycled marine debris, i.e., plastics that have been more difficult to recycle in the past. “The sunglasses are the first produced with a new technology, which transforms low-quality types of plastic waste into high-performance materials, providing a unique look,” said Parley for the Oceans in a statement.

For every 100 pairs that are sold, the project will add a new island to the existing island network that Parley has committed to protect. The project is called Clean Waves, and you can find more information on the glasses, as well as the product waitlist, by clicking here.

“Parley for the Oceans addresses major threats towards our oceans, the most important ecosystem of our planet. We believe the power for change lies in the hands of the consumer – given he has a choice – and the power to shape this new consumer mindset lies in the hands of the creative industries.”

Are you developing a production method that turns trash into treasure? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

“Be seen. Be safe.”: Smart helmet pairs with Apple Watch, signals via hand gestures

bike lock station

The days of pushing signal lights on a bike’s handle bars are over—say hello to the Lumos helmet. The helmet (compatible with iOS) allows riders to signal which way they will turn with nothing more than a hand gesture.

To do so, riders simply pair the helmet with their iPhone via Bluetooth, which is then calibrated with the appropriate hand signals via the Apple watch. When in use, the hand motions that were calibrated are then displayed via 11 LED lights, almost like the blinker on a vehicle.

This innovative Lumos helmet not only protects cyclists that choose to go on a midnight ride, but it also offers various impressive tracking qualities, such as distance traveled, speed, and time. The helmet can even sense when a rider is applying the brakes to slow down, which again, looks similar to when a vehicle puts on the brakes; except it’s on the back of the rider’s head.

The Lumos website describes its product as “the world’s first smart bike helmet that beautifully integrates lights, hard brake, turn signals, and helmet into a single cohesive whole.” The helmet is weatherproof and safety certified. It also boasts a rechargeable battery and integrated lights. Check it out for yourself by clicking here.

“Lumos started with a pair of engineers asking themselves how they could improve their own cycling experience and safety on the road. We loved commuting to work by bike, but all too often it’d feel so dangerous. So we decided to make a solution. A helmet that can make us and our intentions more visible. We announced the idea out to the public and fellow cyclists seemed to love it. The rest is history.”

Are you developing a technology that helps with the well-being and safety of cyclists? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is the largest specialist R&D tax credit consulting firm in the United states.  We solely provide services related to the R&D credit and are the only firm in the United States to offer free live webinars on a daily basis. Click here for more information.

The Longevity of Batteries: From lithium-ion to lithium-sulfur, latter signals new age in battery life

battery

It’s 2018, and when your phone battery dies, it feels like you die along with it–at least temporarily. Not being able to check social media, keep up with work emails, or access a map with directions to the latest craft beer taps seems (almost) anxiety inducing; for me it does, anyway. By way of the brilliant minds at The University of Texas at Dallas, the post-mortem phone blues may occur less frequently, thanks to their research and development efforts to create an efficient lithium-sulfur battery.

According to Dr. Kyeongjae “K.J.” Cho, a professor with research interests in renewable energy at UT Dallas, lithium-sulfur batteries “are less expensive to make, weigh less, store almost twice the energy of lithium-ion batteries and are better for the environment.”

“A lithium-sulfur battery is what most of the research community thinks is the next generation of battery,” Cho said. “It has a capacity of about three to five times higher than lithium-ion batteries, meaning if you are used to a phone lasting for three hours, you can use it for nine to 15 hours with a lithium-sulfur battery.”

To make the lithium-sulfur battery more efficient than a traditional lithium-ion battery, Cho and other researchers discovered that molybdenum, a metal that easily forms compounds with other elements, improved stability and compensated for the poor conductivity of sulfur, which makes lithium-sulfur batteries more practical. There are downfalls, however.

In an article for Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers explain, “Despite many advantages, Li–S batteries are plagued with practical issues that limit their applications: (1) the poor electronic conductivity of sulfur that retards electron transfer during the charge/ discharge processes; (2) the formation of intermediate polysulfides generated during cycling, which leads to the shuttle effect and increases the impedance of both electrodes; (3) the intrinsic issues of Li-metal anodes, which are often associated with uncontrollable dendrite formation during repeated Li deposition and dissolution processes; and (4) the formation of an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer between the electrolyte and Li metal due to inhomogeneous deposition of Li. These issues lead to the reduction of Coulombic efficiency and the subsequent fast termination of battery life.”

Despite the downfalls, it’s arguably a matter of time before R&D initiatives, such as the one above, brings forth a commercially available lithium-sulfur battery.

Are you developing a rechargeable energy solution? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

AI ‘Fortune-telling’: Texas-based firm creates AI algorithm to prevent costly machine downtimes

gears

Veros Systems, a Texas-based AI tech firm, helps machinery owners to “gain actionable insights on rotating equipment reliability, performance and process abnormalities using only electrical signal analytics.” In essence, Veros has created a technology that can predict system failures using electrical waveform analysis. What does that mean, exactly?

According to the Veros website, their technologies use “edge measurements and processing,” which combines “rich electrical waveform data with machine learning and AI-based algorithms – leveraging over a decade of historical and event data – to provide predictive insights into machine operation and health, making the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) a reality.” To put it simply, Veros has created a technology that predicts mechanical failures; before they happen.  

Knowing when a machine will break down can help companies to decrease downtimes, improve efficiency and optimize maintenance, thus helping to cut costs and boost profits. In a recent statement, Harry Brekelmans, Projects and Technology Director at Shell Global, said, “We estimate that Veros could deliver an additional $300 million a year of production that would otherwise have been lost by unplanned shutdowns.” Impressive, to say the least!

Are you developing a technology that uses AI-based algorithms to deter production delays? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative