Access Beyoncé in the Blink of an Eye: Austin-based Blink Identity materializes biometric admissions technology

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Waiting in massive lineups to access venues may be a thing of the past. Austin-based startup Blink Identity has the solution we’ve all been waiting for: biometric access to a concert that is quick and seamless. “Blink Identity has created a fast, accurate and user-friendly identity service for live entertainment venues, solving the bottleneck problem and creating a preferential experience for consumers and venue owners alike,” said Jordan Fudge of Sinai Ventures, a lead investor of Blink Identity.

The company was conceived in January 2018 by Mary Haskett and Dr. Alex Kilpatrick; both of which have impressive qualifications. The duo has over a decade of experience designing, developing and deploying large scale biometric identification systems internationally for the Department of Defense, according to the company website.

Blink Identity technology works by identifying people at a normal walking pace–a revolution in itself. The system can verify the identity of 60 people per minute via a sensor and can do so in any lighting conditions, according to reports. Not having to stop and verify multiple identities allows the technology to be applied to events where tens of thousands of people gather—perfect for an entertainment company like Live Nation. “It is very notable that today we announce our partnership with, and investment in, Blink Identity, which has cutting-edge facial recognition technology, enabling you to associate your digital ticket with your image, then just walk into the show,” a Live Nation press release stated.

“Blink is revolutionary. Currently, commercial biometrics are almost nonexistent—primarily because other systems are high friction, difficult to use, inaccurate and vague about privacy/data protections. Our unique experience at large-scale/in-motion identity, combined with our focus on usability and privacy, will allow us to lead adoption in the commercial sector as well as open up new markets,” Haskett said in a statement.

The development of facial recognition technologies like the Blink Identity system can provide personalized user experiences, from VIP access to tailored advertisements. More information about Blink Identity can be found by clicking here.

Developing a way to streamline crowd admissions with biometrics? Are you using biometrics for other technological purposes? Swanson Reed wants to hear from you! 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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

Living on the edge: How R&D helped DFW-based entrepreneur to build the Single Edge Razor 2.0

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After quitting his job selling fighter jets around the world, Patrick Coddou launched a new company based in Fort Worth called Supply and developed its signature product: the Single Edge Razor. Now, two years since the company’s inception, Coddou is back with the Single Edge Razor 2.0.

Coddou told D Magazine he came up with the idea for the Single Edge Razor because of his sensitive skin: “I used to hate shaving and using those five blade razors. So my search brought me to this old style of razor. I loved it so much that I thought, you know, I think I can make one of these and show more people what these are.”  With the Single Edge Razor 2.0’s release this summer, Supply offers a new razor that is more durable and comfortable than existing multi-blade razors on the market.

From extensive research, Supply found that multi-blade razors caused irritation when shaving because these are often built as a “one-size-fits-all” product and the blades cut below the skin’s surface and pull up the hair to cut which results in discomfort and ingrown hairs. The razors are also more difficult to wash thereby prompting bacterial buildup in the blade and the material is usually cheap plastic that does not last. Supply’s Single Edge Razor 2.0, in contrast, developed three blade designs to account for distinct skin types: mild, classic, and aggressive. Mild was built for sensitive skin and short beard growth, aggressive was made for long beard growth and wiry hair, and classic for everything in between.  The Single Edge Razor 2.0 is designed to shave just at the surface of the skin, ensuring a closer shave and comfort, and is cleaned easily to avoid bacterial buildup. As well, the blades are 100% stainless steel and twice as thick as the average multi-blade razor, guaranteeing it is rust-resistant and unbreakable.

Additionally, the Single Edge Razor 2.0 was designed at a closer distance and angle between the blade and the safety bar than its predecessors.  While single edge razors have existed for decades, they have often been difficult to use because the blade must be held at the same angle throughout the entire shaving process or else there is risk of cutting and nicks. With the Razor 2.0, the angle is built-in for the user to handle with ease.

Coddou’s company is still constantly finding ways to improve its product. Supply employed an entirely new manufacturing process for the Single Edge Razor 2.0 by adopting methods used in aerospace and medical device manufacturing.  In particular, the company used the Metal injection Moulding process which built products with extreme accuracy and ensures quality of the product. The company hopes to continue to invest in this type of manufacturing and to expand to create more razors and even an entire line of grooming products, from shaving cream after-shave to body wash. You can find the company’s product on Kickstarter.

Supply’s expenses incurred during the design stage of building a new razor and improving the manufacturing methods are all eligible for the R&D tax credit. If you are also engaging in R&D to develop new products or improve existing processes, you could be up to 14% back 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 at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

When Dallas researchers introduced Twistron, they may have sparked an energy revolution

Twistron

Scientists from The University of Texas (UoT) in Dallas, in collaboration with researchers from Hanyang University in South Korea, have developed a new fabric that generates energy: twistron. A lightweight yet resilient yarn made from carbon nanotubes woven together, twistron can produce electricity simply by stretching and without the need of a battery or other energy source.

Dr. Carter Haines, an associate research professor at UoT’s NanoTech Institute in Dallas, said, “The easiest way to think of twistron harvesters is, you have a piece of yarn, you stretch it, and out comes electricity.” Carbon nanutobes, from which twistron is constructed, are 10,000 times smaller in diameter than human hair and therefore offer a lightweight material. To harvest energy, twistron initially needed to be soaked in electrolytes, such as saltwater or even human sweat. However, through experimentation and research, the scientists were able to use a solid-state electrolyte to coat the yarn, without soaking the material. From testing, the scientists found stretching the yarn 30 times a second could 250 watts per kilogram. Dr. Na Li, another research scientist at the NanoTech Institute, further described the process, ‘Whenever a harvester yarn is twisted or stretched, the volume of the carbon nanotube yarn decreases, bringing the electric charges on the yarn closer together and increasing their energy. This increases the voltage associated with the charge stored in the yarn, enabling the harvesting of electricity.”

The scientists hope the twistron could be used in clothing and other commercial uses one day. They tested twistron by sewing it into clothing and found that even normal respiration stretched the fabric enough to power electricity. One of the scientists also tested twistron in ocean currents. Dr. Shi Hyeong Kim submerged 10 cm of twistron on the east coast of South Korea and the material successfully generated electricity. Dr. Kim hopes this is a breakthrough for harnessing the strength of the ocean.  From these small scale activities, the researchers are confident these activities could be scaled up in the future. The team has patented the technology and are continuing to test its capabilities. Perhaps they could even make batteries superfluous.

Are you also engaging in R&D experiments to develop new ways to generate energy? 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.

Infrastructure Masons Meet in Dallas to Tackle Challenges to Data Centers

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Data centers form the backbone to the modern economy, especially as many traditional services and businesses are increasingly moving online. However, maintaining and powering data centers can be quite costly. To discuss these challenges, Infrastructure Masons, or iMasons, met in Dallas last week at South Methodist University.

iMasons was founded by Mark Monroe, President of Energetic Consulting Inc, and Dean Nelson, Head of Uber Compute in 2016. Given the evolving challenges facing data centers and modern infrastructure, iMason was formed to allow industry professionals to meet and discuss potential solutions. The association has since grown to over 1,000 members worldwide.

Data centers are important to any economy. After all, internet giants like Facebook, YouTube, Google, Netflix, and others depend on digital clouds based in data centers. Yet, maintenance of data centers’ equipment is difficult; it needs to be replaced every three to five years and cloud applications that run on the equipment lasts only a few months. Perhaps more significant are the electrical power grids and utilities that allow these data centers and virtually everything else to function. As Monroe said, “If your social media site goes down, nobody dies. If your autonomous vehicle goes down and you’re connected to the grid on the foundation that the masons have built, then you’ve got something serious.”

In response to these challenges, the iMason members recognized that further investment in sustainable energy sources like wind and solar power energy is needed to meet the power demands of data centers. There is already hope that the data industry is influencing infrastructure changes, particularly towards renewable energy sources. Google, for instance, is known for pushing towards clean energy and the tech behemoth is now the largest renewable energy customer in the world. Utilities and infrastructure are responding to the demand.

In addition to the question of sustainability, the iMasons discussed other problems within the infrastructure industry, especially the aging work force and lack of diversity. Eddie Schutter, Head of Global Foundation Services at eBay, said, “It’s also an aging team in this industry. How do we bring in younger talent and how do we bring in the next generation?” New young and diverse talent are integral to leading new ideas in development. The importance of innovation in infrastructure cannot be overstated. In fact, innovation was a key factor in pushing for increasing the structural resiliency of data centers in Texas. This initiative allowed Texas data centers to continue to function despite Hurricane Harvey, in stark contrast to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

If you’re conducting R&D to innovate new ways to power data centers or improve infrastructure, you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% back on your experiment 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.

Which Texan City is Exceeding Tech Job Growth?

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From 2015 to 2016, tech jobs in Texas increased by 1.9%, producing 11,000 new jobs. Yet the standout city was Dallas, creating 2,978 jobs last year, mainly due to strong growth in computer systems design, telecommunications services and IT services.

With the exception of California, Texas hires more tech workers than any other state. Last year, 2,196 tech jobs were generated in Houston, 974 in Austin and 843 in San Antonio, bringing the total number of tech employees in the state to 592,960. These cities are among the fastest-growing metro areas in the US. Popular tech jobs include computer user support specialist with almost 5,000 workers in San Antonio alone, followed by application software developer with 4,620 employed.

Interestingly, Austin ranked 1st for start-up hubs based inland and 6th in the US overall, demonstrating that entrepreneurial activity is now occurring away from the typical coastal regions and well-known technology hubs. In actual fact, start-ups are now being formed in every state, in what has been termed, “The Rise of the Rest.” This is significant as high-growth start-ups provide the most potential for employment growth; they tend to create jobs faster than more established organizations.

Nationally, the tech sector grew by almost 3% in 2016, with California, New York, Florida and Massachusetts also among the top states for tech jobs. Tech job gains were largest in California, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Michigan.

Today, there are more US workers in tech jobs than in finance, transportation or construction. Since 2010, there has been a 2.7% gain each year for the sector. Technology is transforming every industry, as businesses become more and more reliant on IT for growth. Tim Herber from CompTIA, declared that, “Organizations of all sizes are embracing cloud-based technology solutions, expanding their mobile presence, fortifying cyber defenses and driving decision-making through advanced data analysis.”

The federal and state R&D Tax Credit is available to technology companies who are developing new or improved software, products, formulas or processes, among other activities. To find out whether your company is eligible, contact Swanson Reed R&D Tax Specialists.