Technology – Page 4 – Swanson Reed | Specialist R&D Tax Advisors

Ralph Lauren’s wearable technology packs the heat so Team USA can bring home gold

35,000 spectators are expected to attend the Olympic Opening Ceremonies this upcoming Friday at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. Anticipation is high among athletes and attendees alike. Added to the excitement, however, are widespread concerns that the stadium – which was built without a roof and without central heating – will be too cold for the ceremony’s audience members. Team USA, fortunately, is fitted with wearable technology that will keep them warm to withstand the chilling conditions.

The $58 million main Olympic Stadium omitted a roof and central heating in its design and construction plans as a time-saving measure and because it would have been “too expensive”, according to an internal document from the Olympic organizing committee. Last November, however, six people reported getting hypothermia while attending a concert at the stadium, calling into question the location’s security and safety.

At 7 degrees Fahrenheit, the 2018 Winter Olympics is expected to be the coldest on record since 1994 when the Olympics were held in Lillehammer, Norway. Weather conditions then were at a low of 12 degrees Fahrenheit. PyeongChang is half a mile above sea level and is infamous for its biting winds originating from Siberia and the Manchurian Plain. To keep warm, Olympic organizers are providing spectators with heating pads, a blanket, and a raincoat. Polycarbonate walls will be set up along the highest points of the stadium to block wintry winds and portable gas heaters will be placed between rows to provide extra warmth.

To combat the cold at the Opening Ceremonies, the American athletes will have special uniforms designed by Polo Ralph Lauren. Drawing from the American flag colors of red, white, and blue, the athletes will be fitted with heated parkas powered by a battery pack. The parkas have printed strips of electronic, heat-conducting metallic ink. Akin to an electric blanket but using ink instead of wires, the parkas generate heat from electrons travelling through the silver ink and hitting resistive carbon pads. The parkas are also water-repellant and athletes can control the temperatures of the wearable technology using three different settings. Adopting engineering principles from heated car seats, the wearable technology is more flexible and stretchy and provides up to 11 hours of heat. “We knew about the cold,” said David Lauren, chief innovation officer at Ralph Lauren, “and hit on the idea of using wearable technology to keep our athletes warm.”

Working on wearable technology that is both fashionable and functional? Your experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive 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.

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.

Helmets and Technology: is Safer Football a possible reality?

Few things are as American as Buffalo wings and Super Bowl Sunday. But as scientific studies uncover the debilitating long-term effects of contact sports, there is uncertainty about the longevity of football in American society. Football players are at a high risk of developing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive brain trauma. In 2011, former NFL defensive back David “Dave” Duerson took his own life because the devastating symptoms of CTE – from depression, mood swings, and memory loss – proved too much to bear. His son Tregg Duerson has since become a fierce proponent of safer football initiatives to reduce the risk of CTE among NFL and aspiring football players, especially since there is no cure for the disease and its effects worsen with time.

Football is becoming more competitive as its players get bigger, faster, and stronger. However, this also means a greater likelihood of injury. On average, players are exposed to 50-60 violent blows to the head in one professional game, according to a study by Stanford University. Players can develop concussions as a result of these blows but a Boston University study found that even without signs of concussion, repetitive hits to the head can lead to CTE. Players are at risk, not just in the NFL or big games like the Super Bowl, but also in college-level and high school-level games and practices. Since no definite diagnosis of CTE can be made until after the patient has died – although scientists are experimenting with ways to improve detection prior to death – preventative measures are necessary.

In some ways, avoiding football is the safest guarantee. Legislation in Illinois and New York have already been introduced to ban football among pre-teens, thereby mitigating the risk of repetitive head trauma among young players whose brains are still in development. Parents are increasingly resistant to enrolling their children in football because of these dangers. Justin Timberlake reportedly stated of his 2-year-old son Silas, “Uh, he will never play football. No, no”.

Even so, it is unlikely the sport will disappear altogether from American culture. Helmet technology, for one, has improved drastically in the past year alone. Vicis, for example, was formed in 2013 by neurosurgeons and engineers. It released its Zero 1 helmet last season which is designed with a tighter fit and with plastic columns in the helmet shell that compress and shift to deflect the impact of a blow to the head. Riddell likewise developed its Precision Fit helmet which is customized for each individual player to provide better protection. As well, the company designed an InSite monitoring system that measures the head-impact exposure of players, providing coaches and players with tools on how to improve a player’s style to reduce the likelihood of head injuries. Similarly, Prevent Biometrics introduced its Head Impact Monitor System (HIMS) which uses sensors to detect collisions immediately and to notify players and coaches to seek medical attention when necessary.

These tools may become integral to the safer football initiative but they are not yet affordable for non-NFL leagues such as at the college or high school level. The Zero 1 helmet, for one, costs $950 per piece. The Riddell Precision Fit costs $1750. Evidently, there is still room for improvement.

Are you experimenting with developing safer football helmets or monitoring tools that are more affordable and effective for football players? Did you know your experiments, even those that were unsuccessful, could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive 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.

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Last Saturday’s Texas Border Tragedy reveals the flaws in U.S. border sensor technology

The FBI are currently investigating the mysterious death of Rogelio “Roger” Martinez, a Border Agent who was patrolling west Texas last Saturday. Martinez was found dead at the Big Bend sector, approximately 12 miles east of Van Horn. His partner, whose identity has not been disclosed, was found in critical condition and has since been hospitalized. The two had been responding to a border sensor near the Interstate 10 that had been triggered, indicating possible human activity in the area.

During a briefing last Tuesday, Emmerson Buie Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge, said, “There are a number of possible scenarios, but right now we are going to pursue it as an assault on a federal agent.” Both Martinez and his partner were found at the bottom of a 9-foot-deep culvert, a tunnel structure used for water drainage. Union spokesperson and veteran agent Chris Cabrera noted that Martinez’s partner had difficulty remembering the details of the incident. Possible explanations vary from an attack by illegal migrants to an accident where the Border Patrol agents fell into the culvert. Cabrera, however, cast doubt on the possibility that it was an accident. “There’s no way he fell,” Cabrera said. “Border Patrol agents are like mountain goats. They don’t fall. Especially two at the same spot.”

The Big Bend sector which runs along the American-Mexican border is not a “migrant hot spot”, given its mountainous terrain and 510-mile-stretch of the Rio Grande. The area has, however, seen an upsurge in drug smuggling in recent years. After Martinez’s death, President Trump tweeted, “Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!”

While Trump’s “Wall” is not necessarily the answer, what is clear is that the United States needs better border sensor and surveillance technology along its borders. The approximately 12,800 sensors along the southern border are outdated and ill-maintained. Some have stopped functioning due to natural circumstances like rainfall or insects chewing on the sensors’ wires. Those that do work are still flawed, particularly as sensors cannot accurately distinguish between the movements of humans, vehicles, and animals. Because of this, border agents often cannot determine whether the alarm is detecting a real threat or a false positive until they arrive on the scene itself. In 2005, a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General review reported that 34 percent of alerts were false alarms. Illegal immigrants accounted for only 4 percent. Significantly, the causes of 62 percent of alarms were unknown, meaning that border agents are unprepared when they arrive on-scene.

The ageing border infrastructure can lead to fatal results. In 2012, Nicholas Ivie, a Border Patrol Agent, was killed in friendly fire when he was investigating an alarm from a border sensor in Arizona. Ivie and another agent had responded to the alert separately. Due to miscommunication and a lack of surveillance infrastructure, the two agents mistook the other as a hostile visitor and engaged in open fire. Ivie was killed as a result.

New surveillance technology, evidently, is needed to provide border agents with more information when they respond to alerts. One potential project was the SBInet, a system consisting of heat and motion detectors, a newly redesigned radar, and cameras. Though well-intentioned, this project faced a number of technical challenges, ranging from transmission problems triggered by bad weather to increasing maintenance costs. Christopher Wilson, border-security expert and deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, argued, “One of the lessons of SBInet was you’re better off going small than big, and you’re better off going off-the-shelf than innovative.” However, the current status quo is still inadequate.

Another potential project is the Integrated Fixed Towers (IFT) system currently deployed in parts of Arizona. The project was developed by Elbit Systems, a company responsible for the surveillance system along the Israeli-Palestinian border. Ideally, the project would use border sensor technology with greater accuracy and detectors that could distinguish between human, animal, and mechanical activity. According to Border Agent Jose Verdugo based in Nogales, Arizona, the IFT system is like “turning on a light switch” because it allows agents to see previously unknown areas along the border.

Are you developing more efficient and ethical surveillance techniques that could solve the problems of border control? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% of your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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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

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Say “Goodbye” to Rowdy Airbnb Guests: Dallas-based NoiseAware develops the “Smoke Alarm for Noise”

The popularity of Airbnb has inspired countless of people to list their properties as short-term rentals for prospective guests. However, this often comes at a risk, especially if your guests don’t end up respecting the residential property’s rules. That’s the situation David Krauss, an Airbnb host in Dallas and one of the forces behind NoiseAware, found himself in one fateful weekend in December 2014. What was supposed to be a “quiet night” for the Airbnb guests in his Dallas condo quickly turned into a Coachella-style party scene that ended with 14 noise complaints, a police report, and a cease-and-desist order from his building’s management. Krauss was held as responsible for allowing the Airbnb guests into his property and his reputation in the community was irreparably damaged. He was forced to sell his Dallas property, losing $30,000 in the process.

Jessica Jubayli, an Airbnb host in Dubai, said in a Forbes article, “Part of having Airbnb properties is that they are in residential buildings in residential areas. They are not hotels. When you have pissed off neighbors, because of a couple odd bad tenants, it makes your life much more difficult.” Determined not to let the situation happen again, Krauss and co-founder Andrew Schultz developed NoiseAware. Likened to a “smoke alarm for noise”, the device can be installed in rental units, villas, and luxury properties to measure the noise level of a particular space. Users can set parameters for acceptable noise levels and for time of day. If sound levels exceed the parameters, hosts are notified by email or text instanteously, long before neighbors could get involved. NoiseAware does not record content and simply senses loud noises. Employing a special algorithm, it measures sound and noise levels sustained over a period of time and adapts to the base level of sound. As an article in Forbes notes, “So if your condo is near an emergency room, the sensors would take into account noises like ambulance sirens.” Users can also monitor sound levels in real time using the NoiseAware dashboard. At $50 per device and a $100 annual subscription service, NoiseAware estimates it helps save Airbnb hosts an average of $250 a month.

If you’re building technology that can protect property owners from rowdy guests, you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and get up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

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Are pharmaceutical industries investing too little into R&D?

Alzheimer’s disease effects over five million Americans and while there are drugs that temporarily alleviate symptoms, there is currently no treatment available to slow down the progression of the disease.

While Drug Companies remain determined and invest billions each year to find an effective method of treatment, it is being argued that they are failing to devote enough resources and time into research and development. Currently 99% of Alzheimer clinical trials are inconclusive or failing, therefore the argument is being made whether drug companies are really exploring all their options.

The institute of New Economic Thinking issued a paper condemning drug makers for buying back company stock and paying dividends to shareholders, rather than spending their money on R&D. The institute urges the government to push aside these private companies and take a more active role in developing medicines.

However medical professors shot back and argued that this criticism was unfair as elbowing aside the private sector is dangerous. Without the hundreds of billions of dollars committed by private-sector researchers, it would be impossible to cure Alzheimer’s, cancers and various other diseases.

Currently the pharmaceutical industry invests a much higher percentage of revenues into R&D than most other sectors. On average the top 18 drug companies spent approximately 16% of proceeds on R&D from 2006-2015. This is a very significant percentage when comparing it to the automobile industry, which has strongly marketed itself as being extremely innovative and futuristic, particularly surrounding the hype of autonomous vehicles. However this sector only invested an average of 4% of its revenues into R&D, according to the consulting firm PwC.

Globally there are over 7,000 new treatments in development and 70% of these use completely new methods to treating illnesses. It is argued by health professors that it is naïve to think that firms will continue making these costly, risky investments if there is no chance of earning a return. Drug companies deliver enormous benefits to society; however they are not charities.

Private medical R&D is in fact showing to be crucial to American physical and financial health, as over 40% suffer from a chronic illness and these diseases account for 90% of total U.S. health care costs.

Medical and health professors fight back at critics accusing the pharmaceutical industry of neglecting R&D. They argue that if their statements are in fact true, then who deserves credit for the hundreds of newly developed treatments that improve people’s lives and lower health care costs each year?

R&D is and will continue to be crucial in the health care and specifically the pharmaceutical industry, and the significant ongoing investments into it to date are proof of this.

If you are conducting pharmaceutical experiments, you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% on 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

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Virtual Reality Ain’t Just for Kids – Dallas Startup MyndVR brings the virtual world to our country’s oldest citizens

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.

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“Sitting is the New Smoking” and DFW company Varidesk is helping you quit

An average American will spend 10 hours a day sitting, whether it’s at a desk, in a car, on a bus, or in front of the TV. Add that with 8 hours of sleep and you’ve got an entire population spending nearly 75% of the day not moving. Sitting has been linked to increased back pain and health concerns like obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. To get Americans moving again, Jason McCann and Dan Flaherty came up with a unique standing desk solution for the office: Varidesk.

The idea came to them in 2012 when Varidesk chairman Flaherty was diagnosed with sciatic nerve pain. A physical therapist suggested using a standing desk at work and Flaherty experimented with different standing desk options. Varidesk CEO McCann recalled, “He would literally put a brown box on top of his desk and felt a lot better.” But the range of standing desk choices were limited and so the two innovated their own alternatives. McCann said, “I remember Dan sitting there describing the product: ‘Can it come out of a box and sit on top of my desk and not have to be bolted down? Can it just pop up in a second?’”

And with that, Varidesk was born. The company has since created a series of different standing desks to fit a variety of needs in the workplace. With a patented spring lifting mechanism, each Varidesk is easy to lift and alter to find the right ergonomic fit. The company’s product line ranges from fully adjustable desks to smaller desktops that can convert existing desks into standing ones. You can also find solutions for tight cubicle spaces and laptops. At present, Varidesk has 50 new products and 200 more in the works.

Coupled with an efficient shipping process, Varidesk has become a huge success and is making the office workspace healthier. In 2017, McCann and Flaherty were awarded EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southwest Region. The company made its millionth sale this month and can proudly claim that over 95% of the Fortune 500 are their clients. Their latest high-profile client is the Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Did you know Varidesk’s experiments and prototyping are considered research and development, and are therefore eligible for the R&D Tax Credit? If you are conducting similar experiments, you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

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Dallas-based AT&T collaborates in Project Loon effort to reconnect Puerto Rico back to the communication grid

After Hurricane Maria, 95 percent of Puerto Rico’s cell towers were wiped out, leaving the island without access to communication with the outside world. In an effort to reconnect Puerto Rico, Dallas-based AT&T is working with Google’s parent company Alphabet’s X division as well as Apple to introduce a provisional band of LTE.

The initiative incorporates Alphabet X’s Project Loon, a fleet of balloons that serve as cell phone towers in the sky. First developed in 2013, the technology relies on solar energy and can stay afloat for more than three months. The balloons were initially vulnerable to wind but Alphabet X recently developed ways to move the balloons into the desired places. The purpose of the balloons is to allow those living in remote and rural areas to have internet access, and in the wake of Hurricane Maria, to reconnect Puerto Rico.

However, the balloons extend an existing cellular network, and do not create an independent one. As a result, Alphabet X needed a cellular provider to partner with Project Loon. Dallas-based AT&T which provides service on the island agreed to work with Alphabet X. AT&T said, “We’re using both traditional and innovative technologies, and are collaborating with humanitarian groups, local and federal governments, and organizations like Project Loon who are bringing additional resources to Puerto Rico to assist in the recovery efforts.” Apple is also working with Project Loon to connect iPhone users on the island.

Because of these joint efforts, AT&T announced it was able to reconnect more than 60 percent of people in Puerto Rico and 90 percent of those in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Those numbers are likely to grow.

Are you working on innovative ways to extend internet service and provide access during emergencies like Project Loon’s efforts to reconnect Puerto Rico? You may be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% on your expenses, even if your experiments were not successful. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

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18 billionaires from Dallas-Fort Worth make Forbes’ 400 Richest Americans List in 2017

Forbes released its annual 400 Richest Americans list on Tuesday, October 17 and the verdict is in: 18 of the 34 Texans who made the cut call Dallas-Fort Worth “home”.

The richest Texan is Alice Walton, 68, the Walmart heiress who resides in Dallas-Fort Worth and whose estimated net worth is at $38.2 billion. She ranks No. 13 on the Forbes 400. She is an active curator of art, serving as Chairman of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas and having supported the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Texas’ economy is diverse but its main sources of wealth are oil, gas, and pipelines. The Forbes 400 reflected this with Robert Bass, Ray Lee Hunt, Trevor Rees-Jones, and Sid Bass among DFW residents in the Top 400 whose fortunes were built on oil. Others like Andrew Beal and H. Ross Perot Senior and Junior made their wealth through real estate. Sports also played a role, with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, worth an estimated $5.6 billion, rounding out the top three richest Texans and No. 95 in the country. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has an estimated $3.3 billion, making him the 21^st richest Texan. Cuban is also an investor on the television show, “Shark Tank.”

Bill Gates remains the richest American, with $89 billion. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, claimed the No.2 spot with $81.5 billion, replacing Warren Buffett who previously held title for fifteen years and now sits at No. 3 with $78 billion. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg rounded the top four Richest Americans with a net worth of $71 billion.

2017 has proven a successful year for the country’s wealthiest Americans. Forbes’ 400 criteria jumped from 2016’s $1.7 billion net worth threshold to $2 billion. The Forbes 400’s total net worth is $2.7 trillion compared to last year’s $2.4 trillion.

Despite the minimum increase, 22 newcomers made the Forbes 400 list with 14 of them being self-made entrepreneurs. Notable innovators include Don Vultaggio, founder of Arizona ice tea and Tito Beveridge who created Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Netflix founder Reed Hastings also notably landed a spot on the Forbes 400 with an estimated $2.2 billion.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur in Dallas-Fort Worth engaging in R&D to develop new products and maybe one day make the Forbes 400 Richest Americans List? 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.

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On the road in Texas and need a bathroom? Buc-ee’s High-Tech Tooshlights Got You Covered

If you’ve ever driven along the North Freeway on the way to Fort Worth, you’ve probably stopped by Buc-ee’s, the famous roadside store with its quirky finds, tasty Beaver Bites, and world-renowned bathrooms. Now, the company is adding an even “smarter” upgrade: high-tech bathrooms with Tooshlights.

Jeff Nadalo, Buc-ee’s general counsel, announced that by next year, the company’s 33 stores across Texas will have a whole new system of high-tech bathrooms developed by Tooshlights, a Los Angeles startup. Providing relief for the tired traveler, Buc-ee’s bathrooms are known for their pristine cleanliness and spaciousness as well as its iconic Texas décor. Nadalo has emphasized that clean restrooms are truly “one of the most important pieces of our customer experience.”

With the new Tooshlights technology, Buc-ee’s will take the bathroom experience one step further. Tooshlights was founded in 2013 by Allen Klevens who came up with the idea while he was waiting for a bathroom stall at the Hollywood Bowl. Finding the wait time incredibly long and wearisome, Klevens came up with a system to manage bathroom traffic. Each stall in the Tooshlights system is equipped with a “smart latch” that connects to a colored light above each stall. These ceiling lights indicate whether a particular stall is occupied or vacant. Green indicates unlocked and empty while red signifies locked and in use. There is also a blue light for handicapped-accessible stalls. You don’t need to awkwardly knock on bathroom stalls anymore. Additionally, the Tooshlights software can monitor cleanliness of stalls and send notifications to staff about when it is time to clean a bathroom stall. It can also monitor when a stall has not been occupied in awhile and one that would require further attention.

Tooshlights’ ground-breaking approach to improving bathroom traffic makes it a perfect fit with Buc-ee’s reputation as a provider of extremely immaculate toilets. As one of Buc-ee’s billboards declares, “Your Throne Awaits. Fabulous Restrooms – 32 miles.” Who knows what new innovations are in store for Buc-ee’s next year?

Experimenting with high-tech ways to manage bathroom traffic like Tooshlights and Buc-ee’s? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

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