Notorious Plant Killer?: Dallas-based startup OrchidBox develops terrariums for the lackluster green thumb

Flowers

If you don’t have a green thumb, growing plants can be an absolute nightmare. The day has come where anyone, anywhere (yes, this includes the person who overwatered their grandmother’s African violet) can grow a variety of plants, thanks to Dallas startup OrchidBox.

“It’s sad, I don’t think young people understand just how diverse our wildlife is, and we are losing more and more plant species every day,” Hollis said in an interview.

OrchidBox was developed by Nathan Hollis, who has a background in computer science and a love for plants. Hollis’ creation, an acrylic box that has high-power LED lights, a water indicator level, and a water level viewing window, promises that any user will never kill a plant again.

The OrchidBox comes with built-in intelligence and is Wi-Fi enabled. This allows the box to coordinate with sunrise and sunset times, and send watering alerts straight to a smartphone. The case will also let you know when to water the plant (if you see a red light on the case, you should really water the plant). According to the company website, the OrchidBox uses over 400 lumens over a 4” x 4” x 7” area that includes light flux levels that are approximately 50% of the sun’s intensity on a sunny summer day—a design feature that cannot be found within any other growing device. The sensing technology has been designed to last, so users can grow plants over the years to come.

“While most people think of the stereotypical store-bought orchids, there are actually 50,000 species of orchids, some that are very, very bizarre. Most people don’t know that, and some don’t even know what an orchid is, so we wanted to take the opportunity to teach people,” Hollis said.

The terrarium box comes with: the OrchidBox, a power adapter, base substrate, soil of choice, watering cup, a pipette, and a fertilizer sample. The application supports Facebook and Google logins. Users can add terrariums to an account. It also allows users to view the water level remotely.

OrchidBox’s mission is to increase conservation and conservation awareness by developing microclimate-controlled devices for plants. The OrchidBox is still in its development phase.

More information about the innovative startup can be found by clicking here.

Creating an innovatiove, quirky desk accessory? 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 a 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.

The Flood of the Boxes: Dallas-based delivery startup Fetch makes apartment package delivery easier, more convenient

Boxes

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment complex or have been a property manager, packages can overtake a leasing office or lobby in the blink of an eye. Thanks to an innovative Dallas startup, property managers will no longer need to ‘sail’ through a mass flooding of packages in their apartment complexes.

Fetch, created by Michael Patton, collects parcels that are mailed to apartments at off-site warehouses and then delivers them to residents at a convenient time. “The e-commerce explosion has flooded apartment buildings with packages. I saw what a pain it was for the property managers, and that was an eye opening moment for me,” Patton said.

Fetch works in a simple, yet innovative way. Users redirect their deliveries to a Fetch warehouse. Once the package has arrived at the warehouse, users then receive instant notifications, hours before it would normally arrive at an apartment complex. Patrons can then request their package to be delivered on their schedule—convenience at its finest, especially for bulky or large items that take a bit more effort to deliver and coordinate.

Fetch has signed 15 contracts with various properties around Dallas. The startup currently manages packages for roughly 5,000 apartments, according to an article on 512tech. Property managers are charged $10 per unit on a monthly basis. The service is available in Texas, but it plans to expand rapidly across the country.

For more information on Fetch, please click here.

Are you developing a platform that benefits employees? 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 a 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.

Reducing Agriculture Footprints in Dallas: Eden Green Technology develops Crisply, an optimal plant growth process

lettuce

A Dallas-based vertical farming company is revolutionizing how food is produced. Eden Green Technology’s Crisply is flaunting its lush, emerald green produce as a cleaner and safer alternative to traditional agriculture methods.

Soil, which can contain E. coli and Listeria, both of which have had their shining moments in American headlines as of late, poses more risks and has less of a yield when producing greens. In comparison, Eden Green’s vertical farming techniques require less water and land than traditional soil methods. The company has reportedly also reduced its cooling costs by one-eighth when compared to other greenhouse methods.

Free of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, Eden Green uses a vine system where each plant is enclosed in a microclimate bubble. “We perfected this transformative vertical closed-loop solution to flow water, nutrients, oxygen and sunlight into the plants’ microclimate at the perfect ratio, in order to optimize the natural powers of photosynthesis to maximize output for people who need it most,” the company website boasts.

The seeds used are organic and non-GMO. All plants are grown under natural light and grow year-round. Eden Green expects to grow 10 to 15 harvests a year with a crop loss of 1%. This is a massive improvement when compared to traditional soil-growing, which yields two harvests with a crop loss of 30%. With these facts and figures, Eden Green is believed to be the first vertical farm with the scalability to meet the produce needs of regional food distribution systems.

“We pick our produce, package the same-day, and stamp the date when they are harvested on the package, so consumers know exactly how fresh their salads are. We also make it possible for our retail partners to put our produce on their shelves immediately after they’ve been harvested, in some cases that same day. No other company does that,” said Jaco Booyens, Eden Green’s co-chair.

The Crisply line will debut in Texas Walmart stores come mid-July. More information about Eden Green Technology and Crisply can be found by clicking here and here respectively.

Are you developing agriculture solutions? Are you reducing environmental impacts within agriculture? 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 a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. 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 CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Giving Feeling to Robots & Prosthetics: Researchers at UT Dallas develop artificial touch-sense whiskers

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Whiskers are arguably the cutest feature on a dog or cat:

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cutedog1     cutedog2

Need we say more? Those pleasant-looking features are used as touch sensors that send information to an animal’s brain. It’s one way that an animal makes sense of their surroundings. This is why it’s important to not trim Fido’s or Tom’s whiskers. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas realized this importance and have created artificial whiskers, appropriately called ‘e-whiskers’.

“We’ve created some of the highest density of e-whiskers to date,” said Dr. Walter Voit, an associate professor of materials science engineering and mechanical engineering at UT Dallas. “When you have a lot of sensors like this that can be dragged over a surface, you can then use them to measure many interesting properties. Our e-whiskers were able to detect force, pressure, proximity, temperature, stiffness and topography. As they brush up against—or whisk across—various materials, they mimic the sensing capabilities of human skin.” The development of e-whiskers is a significant step in the advancement of electronic human skin, which could be used in the fields of robotics and even prosthetics.

E-whiskers were developed by using shape-memory polymers that react to heat. A flexible strain sensor, which has the same diameter as a human hair, was attached to the top of a polymer pattern. Researchers then blew hot air through the bottom of the polymer cutouts, thus making the material soft. This allowed the e-whiskers to rise and become 3D. Any disturbance induced changes that interacts with the strain sensor is then tracked, thus giving ‘life’ to the polymer cutouts.

“In robotics, e-whiskers could replicate the functionalities of human skin by determining what’s hard and soft, hot and cold, smooth and rough. They could allow the robot to identify objects and interact with them safely, making robots more ‘human friendly’,” said Jonathan Reeder, lead author who conducted the research.

This concept may seem like something straight out of a sci-fi novel, but it’s not that far off from becoming a reality. “Integrating electronic sensors directly with biology is the most compelling application but presents a set of tough challenges. Namely, how to translate electronic signals generated by the sensor into the ‘language’ of the nervous system, and how to form a stable mechanical and electrical coupling between the flexible electronic and the soft tissue.” Reeder also mentioned that the sensitivity of the e-whiskers, such as changes in topology and temperature, as well as the sensors’ response time, all exceed the capabilities of human skin “by at least an order of magnitude.” “It’s not impossible for a person with a prosthetic to actually have better sensitivity than with the human hand,” Reeder added.

This development offers hope to the 2 million Americans who are living with a prosthetic limb. For more information on this impressive advancement, please click here.

Are you developing a technology so robots and prosthetics can have more human-like qualities? 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 a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. 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 CPAs.  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.

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.

Neiman Marcus iLab using innovation to advance luxury

Neiman Marcus 1

On Sunday, February 11, 2018, Karen Katz retired as CEO for Dallas-based luxury retailer Neiman Marcus. She is succeeded by Geoffroy van Raemdonck from Ralph Lauren. Given the current economic and social climate, the CEO position is not an easy one to fill as consumer trends are ever-changing in the digital age. With the expansion of e-commerce, failing customer foot traffic into physical stores, and nearly $5 billion in debt, the 110-year-old retailer’s longevity is not guaranteed. But perhaps its ongoing investment into the Neiman Marcus iLab could offer some relief for the company’s problems.

In this digital age, one of the primary questions the company has asked is, “How do we take the experiences [the customer] is having online and make that really seamless [in store] from a personalisation perspective?” The Neiman Marcus iLab may offer some solutions. Initiated in 2012, the iLab is under the direction of Scott Emmons whose background in Information Technology gives him unique insight into utilizing technology to enhance the customer experience. He maintained that innovative technology is “not a silver bullet that will save the world” but it is nevertheless a critical piece in a complicated retail puzzle. One of the iLab’s iconic innovations was the Memory Mirror which allows customers to see how a piece of clothing looks at all angles.  Emmons explained, “You don’t have to ask your husband or girlfriend or a sales associate how it looks in the back. You can see for yourself.” As of 2017, 38 Memory Mirrors can be found in 20 of Neiman Marcus’ stores. The project was so successful that it has been converted in other applications, such as at the beauty counters where customers can see digitally how a cosmetic product will look on them. Another innovation was Neiman Marcus’ free phone charging lockers, rolled out in 2014.  The kiosk makes customers use their phone numbers as an unlock code and doubles up as a customer acquisition tool.

Innovation isn’t cheap, however, and ideas must first go through a rigorous review by executives. Afterwards, they are prototyped in the lab to test proof of concept before they can be implemented in stores. Emmons said, “In the end, when you do technology right, you do have to pay for it. There is a cost associated with getting into the store, so I have to think about technology that is scalable and the business is going to want an ROI on the technology.”

“Not everything works,” Emmons said. “Most of the time, it won’t…[Y]ou have to think about these experiments not as failures, but as learnings that can be applied to future projects.”

The Neiman Marcus iLab demonstrates technical risk. Sound familiar? If you’re also engaging in technical risk and conducting experiments, did you know you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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

With Four Companies and Abandoned Bikes, Dallas’ Bike-Sharing System Needs Improvement

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Three months ago, Dallas didn’t have much of a bike-sharing culture. Now, the city has four companies vying for the bike-sharing market: Ofo, Lime Bike, Spin, and Vbikes. With Ofo’s 1,000 yellow bikes, Lime Bike’s expected expansion to 5,000 green and yellow ones, Spin’s orange bikes, and V-Bike’s silver with yellow wheels, Dallas is set to become one colorful city. City Councilman Philip Kingston commented, “We were the only ones without bike share. Suddenly we are the hottest competitive market for dock-less bike share.”

Bike-sharing has increased in popularity throughout the United States because of its benefits as an alternative to congested traffic and conventional commuting. Cycling is a clean, green form of transportation, reducing car use and traffic as well as relieving pressure on overcrowded public transit systems. Cyclists also gain substantial health benefits from the daily exercise. The United States has seen the growth of 55 bike-sharing companies over the past decade. In a span of five years, bike-share trips have increased from 2.3 million to 28 million throughout the country.

Whereas bike-sharing in Fort Worth and other cities require bikes to be stored at stationary racks in specific locations, Dallas’ four companies adopted a dock-less technique, meaning users can leave the bikes virtually anywhere. All four of Dallas’ bike-sharing companies operate using a smartphone app where users can activate a bike, pay for hourly use, and then leave the bike at any location for the next user. This dock-less system is beneficial in some ways since is more convenient and public subsidies aren’t needed to sustain racks and infrastructure. Yet, because it depends on users to properly maintain and store the bikes, there is less regulation. Vann Vaughan, a regular bike-sharing rider, said, “Just as long as it’s out of the way, that’s probably the most important thing to me. When it’s in the middle of a walkway, that’s where it becomes a nuisance.”

However, the bikes have consistently been found ill-maintained and scattered throughout the city.  Despite the benefits of the dock-less system, Zac Crain, senior editor of D Magazine, argued that there needs to be more improvement for Dallas’ bike-sharing culture. He wrote, “The streets are littered with bikes from VBike and Spin and Lime Bike, not parked so much as abandoned in the middle of a sidewalk, at least half of the time tipped over. It’s not just in downtown. Bikes are abandoned on the Katy Trail, randomly in neighborhoods, dumped anywhere and everywhere. In the Trinity. In White Rock Lake.”

Evidently, a solution is needed to this problem. Perhaps the answer lies in technology. Are you experimenting and developing an app that could improve the efficiency of bike-sharing systems in Dallas and keep the city cleaner and greener? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% back on your expenses.  To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or try our free online eligibility test.

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

Malibu Poké in Dallas: the seafood restaurant where they’ll never forget your face (thanks to their facial recognition technology)

salad

Seafood lovers mark November 28, 2017 off your calendars because Malibu Poké is opening up in Dallas’ Turtle Creek Village! Fans and new converts to poké, a raw fish salad originating from the beaches of Hawaii (and not the physical act of poking someone), are expected to flock to the new location. While the Lone Star State is known more for steak and red meats, the seafood trend is exploding throughout North Texas, with the region already boasting nearly 6,284 poké restaurants. But what makes Malibu Poké different? The answer, according to TJ’s Seafood Market & Grill owner Jon Alexis: a tasty product and state-of-the-art tech, including facial recognition technology.

Malibu Poké is a quick-serve concept, committed to delivering high quality food quickly and efficiently. To do this, the new Dallas location has installed self-serve kiosks which are embedded with facial recognition technology so that the machines can “remember” a guest’s order history. With these kiosks, Alexis hopes that long lines and wait times would be reduced so that orders bring the freshest foods. The self-serve kiosks would also help guests build customized poke bowls and get more nutritional information about ingredients. For those who prefer human interaction, there will always be a Malibu “Poké-Pro” to assist guests.

Aside from its state-of-the-art technology, the restaurant’s menu crafted by FT33’s Chef Matt McCallister is set to be taste-bud pleaser. Alexis said, “Quite simply, it’s a better bowl of poké—the ‘fishmonger’s poké.’ Our emphasis is on freshness, nutrition, and sustainability. Matt’s menu clearly differentiates us from Dallas’ other poké.” In addition to “classic” poke, the menu will offer “even bolder flavors such as smoked bonito aioli, yellow curry, Japanese sancho pepper, Asian pear, daikon, marinated shiitake mushrooms and more.” Malibu Poké is committed to using high quality ingredients, sourcing them from local farms where possible, as well as ensuring healthy eating with its 100% gluten free policy and vegan options.

“Malibu Poke has become so much more than we originally envisioned. With creative input from Matt and my super passionate partners, we have created something truly unique,” said Alexis.

Are you experimenting with developing a delicious seafood menu or combining technology in your restaurant business? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% back on your expenses.  To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or try 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 Reality Ain’t Just for Kids – Dallas Startup MyndVR brings the virtual world to our country’s oldest citizens

virtual reality elderly

Residents at senior homes face a wide range of challenges on a daily basis. Seniors are especially vulnerable to isolation which can lead to depression and anxiety. The Dallas startup MyndVR aims to help offset these challenges by promoting health and wellness using an unlikely source: Virtual Reality (VR).

Founded in 2016, MyndVR was the brainchild of Chris Brickler and Shawn Wiora. Brickler is a former Hollywood producer, Silicon Valley technologist, and entrepreneur while Wiora worked for years in executive senior care. With their combined expertise, the two designed a personalized Virtual Reality experience with seniors and their unique needs in mind.

In collaboration with the University of Texas at Dallas and Samsung, MyndVR offers a handsfree VR headset using gaze-based navigation. This means users can simply pick content with just a look instead of a button or a joystick since clicking is often difficult for the elderly. Similar to music therapy which was found to have positive effects on mood, the multi-sensory experience of Virtual Reality has a significant impact on seniors’ wellbeing. Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients in particular benefited from VR use. It is common for these patients to take mood-altering medication to manage their condition but this often causes patients to feel withdrawn and unengaged. With the VR handset, in contrast, patients’ moods were markedly boosted without the need for medication. Brian Barnes, the CFO/COO of The Legacy Senior Communities, recalled, “In one case, a resident living with Alzheimer’s exhibited personality traits she had prior to the diagnosis, including dancing, smiling and singing.”

For Brickler, giving seniors a sense of choice in the VR experience was important. He said, “We wanted to create a sense of empowerment with seniors around their choice of content and personal journeys.” These journeys include but are not limited to swimming with dolphins, attending a 1950s-style speakeasy jazz club, and taking a nostalgic trip to Paris. Dr. Ryan McMahan of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science explained that there are three ideas behind the VR experiences, “Either they’ll see something they’ve experienced before, which could bring about memories; experience a place they’ve never seen before, which engages the brain; or experience something that’s completely impossible — the unique domain of virtual reality.” Brickler hopes that one day, MyndVR will produce prescriptive digital therapy to provide content based on the user’s diagnosis.

MyndVR conducted trials this past year in Kansas, Florida, California, and Texas with nearly 300 seniors from ages 70 to 100. The startup hopes a mass launch of its product in 2018. It is also partnering with the Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas at Dallas to maintain ongoing research of the effects of the technology on their users’ brains.

Brickler stated, “The elderly population still have minds that function and still have curiosity. They may not be as sharp as younger people, but at the end of the day, there’s a thirst for knowledge, recreation and therapy, and we think virtual reality might be part of the solution.”

MyndVR in partnership with the University of Texas demonstrates how R&D is changing the world for the better. Are you also doing engaging in R&D experiments to tailor technology to senior populations? Did you know that If you conduct your R&D projects in universities, you could receive up to an additional 20% credit for your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

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