Colorado Patent of the Month – November 2022

Rachio, Inc. is a sustainable product development company focused on creating products that help to optimize water use and reduce needless waste. Inspired by the inefficient irrigation systems throughout the US, Rachio discovered that up to 50% of water used outdoors is wasted. They set out on their journey of efficiency and built a controller that optimizes a home’s water use based on weather, sunshine, and the season.

The company hasn’t stopped there. They continue to innovate, developing solutions to expand access to simple sustainability for people across the country. Recently, they have developed a method for dynamically increasing plant root depth. This helps to support improved irrigation from the ground up.

When consistently over-watered, lawns experience a root zone growth limitation. They begin only growing roots to the minimum depth needed to be sustainable. However, longer roots are more desirable, drought resistant, and can survive with less water further reducing water waste.

This improved root depth is achieved by curating custom watering plans that reduce the water consumption requirements for the nearby plants. The process typically follows a few generic steps, which are adapted as needed for each lawn based on weather, vegetation, and season. First, the root depth of the vegetation is estimated. This then informs the allowed water depletion threshold and a training watering plan. Once implemented, this training plan should provoke an increased root depth. The watering plan is carried out by Rachio’s irrigation control system.

Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). 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 one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and 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.

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