A Cochrane inventor’s idea to design a simpler lawn sprinkler transformed into a solution for an environmental problem.
At least that is how inventor and football coach Cam Cote explained the inspiration behind his idea for a groundbreaking sprinkler technology in Nevada in 1992.
“We bought a home and put in an irrigation system, I thought it was very complicated and there should be a much simpler way to do it,” Cote explained.
After coming up with the idea to create a more efficient sprinkler in the early 90s Cote said the idea was revisited in 2014 when water conservation was “at the front of mind.”
Cote obtained a patent and started working with scientists from the University of Alberta to create a robotic sprinkler system that would conserve water compared to traditional systems.
Fast-forward two years, the team has built and tested prototypes in Palm Springs that calculate wind speed, wind direction and the size of water droplets to limit water waste.
The three-piece system – valve, sprinkler and control module – work in tandem to control the water pressure, water dispersion and coverage pattern based on factors such as wind speed and direction.
“There are a million things that go into this calculation and it required a very unique individual to create this algorithm,” Cote said.
“It really was just a little idea that would make irrigation systems easy to install in residences and now it’s grown from this little concept to make a big difference. Now we have breakthrough technology and are in discussion with a number of sporting organizations.”
The Bow Valley Bobcats football coach said there are a lot of similarities between being a sports coach and inventor.
“You need to reach out to a lot of people to help make this device … everyone has all these different skill sets that you need to work together and pull together for a common goal,” Cote explained.
After testing on a golf course in Palm Springs for the last year, the recent test show the InteliRain, touted as a smart irrigation system, is operating at a “very high level and ready to be commercialized,” Cote explained.
The next step will be testing InteliRain in Kansas City which is the “ideal city” Cote explained because the city is focused on water management and turf health, plus Kansas City is known for being a windy city.
“We will run a 30-day verification in Kansas City but at this point we are commercializing the product,” Cote explained.
“Like any new product, there will be room for improvement but currently all sprinkler manufactures test their sprinkler systems indoors so it is not real-world testing – the exciting thing for us about this testing is we will provide real world numbers.”
By controlling the way people water their lawns, or sporting fields, the InteliRain system is focused on providing the “confidence of knowing exactly how the water is being used” with the website stating the new system is 30 per cent more efficient than the leading competitor.
Cote said he is hopeful with future testing that the product will be able to reduce water usage by 50 per cent.
“We thought we would be doing smaller jobs but right now we are in conversation with major league baseball, other professional sports teams and major developers – it looks like (InteliRain) has a very bright future,” Cote said.
“Water conservation is a world issue and we need to be more efficient with water.”
This is the third invention Cote has brainstormed and to-date InteliRain is the most successful, the Cochranite beamed.
For more go to intelirain.com
