LOTUS System Installed
Mar 03, 2026 04:48PM ● By Kendall Brown
Installation and live testing were completed within two days without interrupting farm operations. Ainley said the work was non-structural and required adjustments on site, including accommodating thicker-than-expected insulated walls and resolving Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Photo courtesy of ATM0s Research and Development
DIXON, CA (MPG) – At Ruhstaller Farm, 6686 Sievers Road, a new energy-efficiency system, developed by ATM0S Research & Development, has been installed to help reduce electrical consumption in the farm’s cold storage operations.
The system, known as LOTUS, short for Linear Opening Thermal Uptake System, was designed to address rising energy costs and improve efficiency in agricultural environments. Myles Ainley, founder and CEO of ATM0S Research & Development, said his military background influenced his focus on supporting agriculture.
“Americans are seeing rising electrical costs as a significant barrier to business, and to me, agriculture is our country’s backbone,” said Ainley. “My time in the military made it clear that food security is national security. They say, ‘An army can’t march on an empty stomach,’ and neither can a nation.”
Ruhstaller Farm, 6686 Sievers Road, recently installed a new energy efficiency system called LOTUS (Linear Opening Thermal Uptake System) that was developed by ATM0S Research and Development. ATM0S CEO Myles Ainley (right) said his military background inspired his dedication to agriculture. Photo courtesy of ATM0s Research and Development
Ainley said the idea for LOTUS emerged during a tour of Ruhstaller Farm, when farm leadership discussed a longstanding challenge in maintaining cold storage temperatures while limiting reliance on large air conditioning units.
“During a tour of Ruhstaller Farm, there was mention of wanting to pull in the cool air during the night to maintain the temperature inside a cold storage room,” said Ainley. “I suggested we design a system to reduce the electrical consumption used by the larger air conditioning units at his farm.”
Rather than relying on large mechanical doors or traditional refrigeration-based ventilation systems, ATM0S approached the problem by focusing on controlled airflow. Previous attempts to improve ventilation involved heavy wooden barn-style openings powered by large motors. Ainley said that the approach conflicted with the goal of conserving energy.
The LOTUS system instead uses a small programmable hatch fitted with mesh filters to limit pest intrusion. Low-power fans activate when the hatch opens, drawing in cooler air and exhausting warmer air. The heat exhaust fan is positioned at the top of the storage room, while the cold air intake fan sits near the bottom, creating a circular air exchange based on temperature differentials.
“What ultimately makes this system different is that it is programmable and can be securely monitored and controlled from anywhere in the world,” said Ainley.
The partnership began after Ainley met farm leadership during a guided facility tour connected to the Green Innovation Network at UC Davis, a student-led organization he helped establish. During discussions about energy use, cold storage refrigeration was identified as one of the farm’s highest costs.
Ainley said the farm’s leadership allowed ATM0S to approach the challenge without predefined constraints.
The LOTUS was designed to address rising energy costs and improve efficiency in agricultural environments. Rather than relying on large mechanical doors or traditional refrigeration-based ventilation systems, ATM0S approached the problem by focusing on controlled airflow. Photo courtesy of ATM0s Research and Development
“He gave me permission to start completely fresh, with no limit on how to solve the problem,” said Ainley. “This kind of freedom allowed us to start from the core of the problem and create a design that did not just solve the problem but did not add more problems.”
The system records microclimate data every minute through on-site sensors. Ainley said that precision is critical because temperature can vary significantly even within short distances. By relying on hyper-local data rather than distant weather stations, LOTUS determines the optimal time to capture cooler air. Redundancies allow the system to rely on online weather data if a sensor becomes unavailable.
Installation and live testing were completed within two days without interrupting farm operations. Ainley said the work was non-structural and required adjustments on site, including accommodating thicker-than-expected insulated walls and resolving Wi-Fi connectivity issues. A 24-hour validation test was conducted before final completion.
According to Ainley, the project was delivered at 51 percent below the originally quoted price after reassessing the scope and focusing on precision airflow rather than large-scale structural changes.
Looking ahead, Ainley said the system is adaptable to other agricultural applications, including greenhouses and animal pens, and can be monitored through an online dashboard that allows users to adjust temperature thresholds remotely.
ATM0S Research & Development, founded in 2021, is continuing work across projects ranging from artificial intelligence to drone and crop production technologies.
For more information, visit atm0srnd.com.
