PLUGHITZ Live Presents (Audio)

Oh, that ever-elusive "good night's sleep." Who among us doesn't have a problem with falling and/or staying asleep? And even those lucky few who don't have some kind of sleep disorder are most certainly surrounded by family and friends that share stories. So either way, it's just exhausting! For the sleepless who are looking for a solution, there's Ebb.

Many of the people who experience sleeplessness do so because they find themselves with a "racing mind." This means that, while they lay in bed, they experience thoughts that they cannot control. These thoughts, or possibly the attempt to grab ahold of those thoughts and make sense of them, can prevent someone from finding the rest they seek. Years worth of studies have pointed to various causes, but brain-imaging studies have suggested that a cooler frontal cortex can ease or eliminate this restless mind scenario.

Ebb's sleep technology addresses this issue in particular, by cooling the front of the brain. It does this through a fairly simple looking sleep band that sits across the forehead. The band regulates the temperature of your frontal cortex, which lies directly behind the forehead, hopefully resulting in a calmer mind and a night of more restful sleep.

Because the band is designed to be used while you sleep, it has some special elements to ensure that it is comfortable to sleep with. The back of the band, where the cooling process takes place, does so through a series of cushions. That makes it both comfortable to wear and effective in its goal. It's natural to be wary of technology of this nature. Because of this, the company offers a number of studies showing the effectiveness of the product.

For more information on Ebb and to read the case studies, check out the product website.

Interview by Don Baine, The Gadget Professor.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Sixty million people suffer from epilepsy across the world, and 50 to 100,000 people die in their sleep as a result of epilepsy, according to the CEO, Jeroen van den Hout. To reduce the amount of deaths due to epileptic seizures at night, a group of neurologists in the Netherlands developed the NightWatch, a wireless armband, through a collaboration between Kempenhaeghe and SEIN epilepsy centers, the University Medical Centre (UMC) Utrecht, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Epilepsiefonds (Epilepsy Foundation), and patient representatives. This partnership resulted in a company named LivAssured.

The NightWatch is worn on the upper arm during sleep. It measures the person's heart rate and monitors their movement, and it can detect tonic, tonic-clonic, hyper motor, and clustered myoclonic seizures. Any abnormalities in the heart rate or movement are immediately detected and sent to the base station via an audio and visual alert. The signal can also be forwarded to mobile telephones and call systems as well if the NightWatch wearer lives independently. Up to 5 telephone numbers can be called in the event of an emergency. The wearer can also opt to click the emergency button if they need immediate attention. This base station can be monitored by parents or the caregiver so that the person suffering from an epileptic seizure can be attended to quickly. Data collected by the NightWatch can be analyzed via the NightWatch portal. One can use this portal to understand what occurred during the night and why the signal was sent.

The NightWatch, launched about a year and a half ago, is clinically proven to be effective and a certified medical device. It is proven to detect up to 96% of the most dangerous seizures. Approximately 1000 devices have been sold and have received positive feedback. Currently, it is available only in Europe. For more information, please visit their website.

Interview by Don Baine, The Gadget Professor.

He graduated from from Iowa State University with a Bachelors of Science in industrial engineering and is currently a PhD student at the University of Central Florida while interning with Lockheed Martin MFC in Orlando, FL. He has worked on projects that have included the ergonomic design of power tools, human factors research, and investigating the prevalence effects in transportation. He enjoys long walks on the beach and the search for alligators in the wild.

Climate change certainly is quite a hot topic this century and the debates around it have been heating up exponentially in recent years. A good amount of people have taken notice and want to do what they can to aid in the solution to this ever-increasing world problem. And whether directly related to that or not, there are also a lot of businesses that are adding their solutions to the debate. Every year now, there are significant contributions to the technology in areas like recycling, electric vehicles and solar and wind power solutions.

OxiCool, based in the United States, is one of these companies that want to make a difference and has decided to take it head-on with an impressive new use of technology. Air conditioning has become more and more prevalent as the temperatures throughout this county have risen. There are states in the northern section of the country that, in the past, residents have never even needed to have air conditioners in their homes. And even those that eventually felt the need to had a little assistance with cooling only used a window unit or two in key spots of the house. This is quickly changing to where more and more residents in these areas are beginning to add central A/C units to cover the same square footage as the heating in their home. Not only are the emissions, in general, from air conditioning bad for the environment, but traditional air conditioning units account for almost one half of the electricity used in homes during the summer. This is where OxiCool is breezing in with a cool solution.

The company claims to have a simple solution for a problem that has puzzled the cooling and air conditioning industry for over 100 years. By using only natural elements (i.e. earth, water, air, and fire), OxiCool produces zero emissions from its refrigerant and therefore reduces the ever-increasing demand that is placed on the aging power grids throughout the country. As a bonus and equally important to some, the system is incredibly silent. So you not only get to save money but also relax in total comfort while also helping to save the planet. Per their website, OxiCool is the only air conditioning system in the world that uses no toxic substances of any kind and produces zero emissions from its refrigerant, as it uses only pure water as the only refrigerant.

So, how does all of this work? Excellent question. Without getting into all of the technical information that you can learn by watching the full interview in combination with visiting their website, OxiCool is powered by what they have coined, OciCell, which are inside of a closed-loop. Therefore they are maintenance-free, molecular sieve cells that are manufactured in a cleanroom. And when complete, not even a single water molecule can escape through the life of the system. So low maintenance that you never even have to add or change the water, or the molecular sieves inside.

On to what I'm sure is everybody's next question... Price. One would expect that such new and cutting edge technology would come at a price. And we have to say that we were pleasantly surprised to learn that, although these units are not cheap by any means, they aren't that much more than replacing with a standard unit, when you consider how new it is and all that is involved with its creation. Per the website, a 20,000 BTU/hr system with four in-home heat exchangers is estimated to be about $10,000. They are currently available on their website for pre-order with a fully refundable down payment of only $100. The units are being manufactured in the order as each is received.

Interview by Don Baine, The Gadget Professor.

Although Michele has worked in the banking industry full time for many years, she originally went to school with a concentration in communications, advertising and marketing. She began her career in sales and retail management, selling electronics and computers. Her love of all things tech eventually brought her back into the electronics arena three years ago when she started with PLuGHiTz Corporation to help with special events as a Production Assistant. Soon she began to dabble with the audio and video and is loving her role as Producer. She's also one of our content writers and assists with product reviews. Looking forward, she is excited to expand her skill set into editing and helping the company continue to grow.

Anyone who owns a laptop knows just how unwieldy the power supplies can be. They are so big and heavy that the common term is "power brick." That term makes it very clear what the devices are all about. However, it turns out that it doesn't have to be like this. GaN Systems has designed a chip that makes these chargers far smaller.

The size and weight of the laptop charger that CEO Jim Witham brought with him, using the Gan Systems technology, were surprising. Rather than being large and heavy, this charger was about the size and weight of a cellular charger. Despite the significant reduction in size and weight, the charger is able to produce the same amount of power as the bulky charger that your current laptop uses. This could make both daily life and travel life easier for many people.

But, it is not only usable in laptop chargers. The chip can be used to miniaturize power conversion systems for all types of devices. Take, for example, the electric vehicle industry. By the year 2040, it is expected that there will be 65 million electric vehicles sold. Those vehicles are all going to need specialized chargers and reducing the footprint of those chargers in your garage is going to be a benefit to many EV owners.

The GaN Systems technology is available in products today. The chips are also available to purchase by anyone developing a product. Often, we see components like this available only in bulk, or from the manufacturer, but GaN Systems wants the chips used, so they are available from suppliers like Mouser. The company also has reference designs and kits available to get you started.

For more information on the GaN Systems technology and the ways it can be used, check out the company's website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Sometimes CES introduces us to a new aspect of a company that we think we know well. A great example of that at this show was CyberLink. If you have ever used a Windows computer, which of course you have, you've used the company's technology. They are responsible for much of the computer's video capabilities, from DVD playback to online streaming. But, this year, the company is showing off FaceMe, an AI platform for facial recognition.

Now, this type of facial recognition isn't like what has been in the news lately. FaceMe is a closed-loop system designed to allow companies to offer you customizations on Internet of Things products. For example, maybe a company that makes a home medication dispensing product could use the system to pick out the different members of the family and dispense the correct medication, without the person having to identify themselves. This would make using the device easier for older people who might not be comfortable with technology.

The history of the product is unique, in that it wasn't meant to be a product. CyberLink helped create a product for virtual makeup called YouCam Makeup. For that product, they created a technology for recognizing and identifying faces. Because of the success of both the product and the technology, the company saw the value of the system and turned it into FaceMe.

FaceMe is designed to work on just about any platform so that it can enhance products varying from smart mirrors to robotics. The technology is already being used in products on the market, and CyberLink is looking to partner with more companies to help their customers customize their products.

If you are working on a project and would like to learn more about the FaceMe platform, check out the company's website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

For many people in the world, including here in the United States, drinking water can be a challenge. Some people won't drink tap water, either because it isn't clean or there is a belief that it isn't. Many people, either at home or work, have water delivered, which adds a monthly cost to their budget. But, delivered water comes with an environmental hit, as well. GENNY by Watergen gives you the ability to have that clean water without the negatives.

The company makes a product that allows you to create water out of the air. The Watergen product, known as GENNY, looks like a standard water cooler, but without the bottle on the top. The GENNY is able to generate 8 gallons of water per day with nothing more than a connection to power. The system also uses a series of filtration to ensure that the water is clean and tastes good, which is an important aspect.

In addition to enhancing the daily lives of many people, the GENNY can also be used as part of an emergency scenario. For those of us who live in an area where storms take down our utilities, fresh drinking water can be a problem. Before a hurricane, we always fill our bathtubs with water, in the event that we lose water (which happens). And, because the device runs on standard power, it can be hooked up to solar power to produce water even if the power is out.

Combining the solar and electric into a single setup also allows the GENNY to be used in parts of the world where drinking water is always a problem. In third world areas, the GENNY can be used to augment the lack of available water.

The GENNY is available now. To learn more about the product and the rest of the line, check out the Watergen website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

In addition to the upcoming BenjiLock deadbolt, the Array by Hampton smarthome platform is growing and making a name for itself. We saw the beginnings of the platform in 2018, and all of the excitement from that CES is coming together at this CES.

But, the crown jewel for the year is the BenjiLock deadbolt. The technology that Robbie created being implemented into a deadbolt is exciting enough, but the depth of the product offing is more than just that. The technology works in extreme weather conditions, which was an important piece of the puzzle for CEO Kim Kelley. They also focused on battery life, so that the lock maintains its convenience longterm, rather than having to charge or change a battery on a regular basis. Mr. Kelley says that it's the difference between a technology company trying to figure out how to make a lock, and a security company adding technology into their existing line.

But, what makes the BenjiLock deadbolt extra exciting is its integration into the Array smarthome platform. Kim Kelley differentiates smarthome from connected home by saying that a smarthome does what you want when you want. That's an important line because it sets the expectations for what Array is capable of. This smarthome platform ranges from indoor lights and cameras to the outdoor coach lights and garage door opener.

One of the key features of Array is Lockdown Mode. This is the sweep you make at night to make sure your lights are off, the doors are closed and locked, the garage door is down, and the thermostat is set to the right temperature. Through the Array platform, you can make this sweep virtually, from the comfort of your bed or the relative comfort of a hotel room across the country.

To beef up the security credentials of the system is the coach lights. We saw these in action in 2018, and they are truly impressive. They look like a traditional outdoor light, intended to be part of your home - not like a traditional security light with a giant camera attached. But, they do offer a security camera with impressive quality, and the ability to send triggers into the system based on motion by people. This is always an important distinction because a traditional motion light turns on if someone drives too close to your house in their car. There is also a tethered light so that one on each side can come on, dim, and turn off together, without having to have a camera on each light.

The Array by Hampton line of products will be releasing throughout the year. For more information on the products available, check out the company's website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

If ever there was a poster company for CES Eureka Park success story, it would be BenjiLock. Since we first met founder Robbie Cabral at his first CES several years ago, he has gone on to huge success. After taking his prototype to Shark Tank, Robbie and his Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary, took the brand to the team at Hampton Products because of their expertise in security products. Today, the company has grown its product line in new and exciting ways.

The original product in the line, the biometric padlock, has been improved, with new colors being added to the category. The closest companion, the luggage lock, has also seen improvements in the last year. The most important addition is the soft lock, which is a common feature of luggage locks.

2020 is going to see a new collection of devices from the company, however. The most prominent will be the BenjiLock Deadbolt. This product is the perfect pairing of the technology of BenjiLock and the knowhow of Hampton Products. This lock has everything you could possibly want from a connected deadbolt, and more. In addition to the biometrics that BenjiLock is known for, the lock features a physical key plus keypad. The lock also works with the Array platform, making it not just a connected deadbolt, but a smart one, too.

Other new products for 2020 include a bike lock and a drawer lock. The bike lock will feature two lengths, and all of what we expect from BenjiLock, including a physical key - the hallmark of the product line. The drawer lock will allow you to turn nearly any standard drawer into a locked one. This can be good if you have a questionable roommate, or if you are just trying to protect valuables. The new products will premiere as the year goes on.

For more information on the current BenjiLock products, to make a purchase, or to follow the company's development, check out their website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Anyone who has done any work with artificial intelligence can tell you that collecting enough data to train the AI can be as difficult as building the neural networks themselves. There are some decent libraries for standard data sets but say you needed to train an AI to identify a particular model of a product category. Finding the right images to train the system could be near impossible. To help solve this problem is Mindtech Global.

The company specializes in creating synthetic training data to help take an artificial intelligence system from concept to knowledgable. There are all sorts of scenarios where real-world data is not possible. Take, for example, drone data. An airport isn't going to allow an AI creator to fly a drone in their airspace to train what a good or bad drone might look like. By using synthetic data from Mindtech Global, you can still train your system without the need to inconvenience the airport.

In addition to difficult or impossible scenarios, there is also a bias in training data. When Project Natal, which became Xbox Kinect, was first demonstrated in 2009, it was done entirely with light-skinned people on stage. This is because the detection algorithms were not able to detect people with darker skin tones. Artificial intelligence systems face similar bias issues because of their training data. Humans tend to teach based on our experiences, which drives an AI to miss things. With the synthetic datasets, we eliminate humanity's tendency towards unconscious bias.

Currently, a lot of the bias is detected and solved by humans. For example, if a data scientist notices that systems have issues detecting people wearing backpacks, they will ensure that the dataset will include more images of people wearing backpacks. That means that future training sessions will have improved identification of people with backpacks.

To learn more about the Mindtech Global technology or engage their services, check out their website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

As phones have gotten bigger, the desire for a device to make holding your phones easier has become a common one. One product has stormed the industry, but it leaves a lot to be desired. To address the limitations of the PopSocket, the team at ohsnap has created a new phone holder that is versatile enough for everyone.

If you have ever had a PopSocket on your phone, you know that you immediately lose the ability to use wireless chargers. For those of us who use them in our homes, offices, and cars, that is an unacceptable loss. With the ohsnap phone grip, though, that is no longer a problem. The main portion of the holder is removable, making it small enough to work with most, if not all, Qi plates.

As far as standard operation, the ohsnap holder is far more pleasant while in use and while collapsed. While closed, the ohsnap is about a third the depth of a PopSocket. That makes it far easier to keep in a pocket, especially if you keep it in your back pocket. When in use, it is also far better. The outsides come together to create a ring, which can be put around your finger. This usage is far more comfortable than wrapping your fingers around a big circle. The ring can be closed so that it won't fall off. The center iece is also rotatable, making it useful in portrait and landscape mode.

When not using it as a standard holder, you can also use the ohsnap with the included magnetic plate. The plate has micro suction cups on the back, so it can stick to just about any smooth surface. The phone holder then connects magnetically to the plate so it can be used just about anywhere. If you have another magnetic surface, such as your refrigerator or microwave, you can also stick it directly to that.

The ohsnap is available now for $19 with additional accessories available as well. For more information on the products or to order one for yourself, check out their website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.