PLUGHITZ Live Presents (Audio)

For anyone who has tried to buy shoes online, they have found that each company has its own sizing. This makes shopping hard because customers wind up returning their purchases. In fact, up to 10-30% of online shoe purchases are returned because of improper fit. Daniele Delle Case, CEO of Addi.fit, has come up with a clever and easy way to help solve all these problems. This idea came to Daniele because when he was a soccer player, he had problems finding the proper fit for his soccer shoes because not all brands in his size were fitting him.

The process starts with taking only 2 photos of the top of your feet which creates a 3D model. It then compares the sizes of the shoes. It uses the statistics of the 3D picture and extracts the info and creates your personal data for the selection of your shoes. It then holds this information in a personalized profile after your first purchase for future purchases. This makes your online shopping faster and easier. As Daniele said, "shop faster for the cart!"

This is a process that will benefit many people of all ages. Think of small children whose feet change and grow quickly, sometimes weekly. The photos have to be updated on a regular basis to ensure a proper fit for growing feet. With the elderly, there are many medical reasons to keep up with their feet. The onset of arthritis and rheumatism causes the feet to become misshapen and very hard to fit. Comfort is so very important

to our seniors' well-being.

This is not a platform for the consumer specifically. It is targeted for online retailers to improve the shopping experience of their customers. The cost for the retailer is free and costs nothing until purchases are made. Then it is 1 Euro ($1.13 US) per transaction.

Daniele has plans for the future of Addi.fit. He wants to be able to create his own line of custom-made shoes and at the same time be able to promote their designs with other designers and their ideas. He feels this is a good starting point to help other designers and the economy. He is hoping for this to be happening in 2-3 years out. For more info go to the company website.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

In these strange times, there is a lot of civic activity all across the country. We get a glimpse of some of the larger events that take place, but only from the point of view of the channel that we happen to be watching. What's really happening down among the participants? What is their actual message and how are these messages being translated among them? Also, on the flip side, companies and groups that sponsor and have created these events want to make sure that they not only get maximum exposure but that it is from a perspective that is as fresh and unaltered as possible.

We got a chance to learn about a new online and mobile platform that aims to create an engaging and seamless interface between organizing, participating and viewing these civic events as they happen when Edward Hill, IV, President and co-founder of CausEcho stopped by the studio. Basically, this platform simplifies the process for civic engagement by giving the various advocacy groups the ability to not only create/advertise their events in the system, and also the ability to mobilize and livestream them. The types of events include demonstrations, rallies, fundraisers and disaster relief efforts.

Potential activists can discover and support the causes of their choice. They can then either actively participate in the events, donate or both. Users can explore the event pages of the various advocacy groups and watch the live, or past, video footage that is uploaded by attendees. Everything is in one place, with the best moments highlighted through the eyes of those that were there as the content is uploaded using real-time video and photo footage. This not only gives viewers a truer perspective of the content, but also helps to increase overall awareness for these cause oriented events.

Learn more about the platform's ability to increase awareness, promote, organize, fundraise and engage communities in the full interview and then check out their website here.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

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.

There has been a lot of progress in the agricultural field these days. We met Alexander Olsen the CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms, which is producing a low-cost hydroponic system for in-home and commercial use. This system uses 90-95% less water and produces a better crop of produce and plants than if they were grown outdoors. All you need is an active water line like for your refrigerator.

This process is touted to be the future of agriculture. There are no GMOs or pesticides used so the health aspect is greatly improved. The growth rate is 2 times faster than the traditional way. Another benefit is that with the traditional way, you lose 50% of the nutrients within a day of harvesting. The best part of this is that you are the one doing the harvesting and you get it as fresh as it can possibly be.

This is being targeted for various markets such as consumer and restaurants. In the restaurant business, it is necessary to order fresh produce from all over the world on a daily basis. This system will eliminate that. The freshness factor will definitely be enhanced. It is in the form of a dose pack that is simply put in a pod similar to a Keurig. The pods are pre-measured for a single serving. The dose control recreates the perfect environment for each particular crop so that you can program in what it is you want to grow and how to grow it. This results in a very consistent and successful crop of your chosen plant.

Finding the right staff was a challenge for Alexander. He had to look long and hard to find people who were dedicated and meshed with each other. They also had to be willing to work very long hours for very little pay at first.

The current unit is similar to a refrigerator in size. It measures 4x2.5x6 feet. Hopefully, it will be available in the next 6-9 months at a price point of $8,000.00. For more information go to the company's website.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

There is nothing more frustrating than wanting to go to an event such as a concert or a play or even a movie and not having anyone to go with. Worse yet is trying not to drag or coerce a friend to accompany you who really doesn't want to go at all. GoWithMe is an event-based app specifically designed for finding someone to accompany you through a common interest.

The catalyst for this creation came about when Amanda Denatala, the company's founder, had her 17-year-old daughter looking for a new group of boys for her to choose from to date. In an effort to try to solve some of the issues of security and catfishing now found in today's society, she shared the request with her husband. He suggested that they either said no directly, knowing that she would probably do it anyway. The other option was to find a way under their parameters. The daughter agreed and found herself struggling with all the questions asked of her. She felt like she was looking for a husband! It showed that there was a big gap in the market. Amanda needed to fix it as she had 3 more children younger than her oldest daughter. It was a scary world that they would be facing as they grew up especially since most people lie on their profiles. After much research and reading, she just started seeing what worked. Instead of feeling inadequate about other profiles compared to hers, she tried posting that she had tickets to a certain concert and hoped someone would respond. They did and her idea was born.

This app can also be used for finding a golf partner or a group to play cards with as it can be adjusted for multiple people. There is a built-in security feature that tracks you. When the event is over you let the app know the event is over and that if you don't, it may think you are in a dangerous situation. It will text you to see how you liked the event. If you don't respond, it will send a text to a pre-designated emergency contact. It can connect to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Google. The event tickets have 3 different options: you pay for tickets, which is called paid, or stag which is like Dutch treat or sponsored which is like asking someone to pay for the tickets because you have no money.

The app is available now. Check out the company website for more information.

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.

The process of buying a new car has not always been the best or easiest experience for most people. Now Jonathan Grisley, who was previously associated with Kelley Blue Book and Nissan, has developed an ingenious and immersive app for purchasing your next new car called SPIN.

This app is so very user-friendly and exciting to look at. As most potential buyers usually spend approximately 14-15 hours online doing research before narrowing down their choices and making their decision, with SPIN the colorful and beautiful pictures make it less stressful than flipping pages and clicking on numerous buttons. Because the photos are of extremely high quality it seems you can almost reach out and touch the cars. There are approximately 35 photos offered per vehicle. The specs are easy to see and very clearly stated.

Safety is one of the most important reasons people choose certain vehicles. With SPIN, all of the safety features are right there front and center. There are areas for specific information such as how much legroom and headroom is in a certain car. It shows very clearly where all the airbags are located and gives a diagram for blind spots which is a very important feature. There is a great animated feature for collision warnings and an autonomous braking system which proves in today's world, that technology is here to stay.

In addition to all of this, one of the best other features is the simplicity of the language used in the app. Many other car companies use such unfamiliar terms for the description of their product and their features. Such as in the case of Audi, which refers to their mentioning of Quattro, which is nothing more than all-wheel-drive. Having consistent terminology makes it easier to compare one brand to another without worrying about why one car has a seemingly important feature and another seems to be missing a similar feature.

If you want to experience it now, the app is currently available for both iPhone and iPad. After getting investments, they hope to bring it to Android. For more information go to the company website.

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.

Ian Bernstein, the founder of Misty Robotics, joined us at Collision 2018 to talk about Misty, the advanced personal robot with professional grade, programmable sensors, bringing us ever closer to the reality of a useful robot in every home and office. Evolved from Sphero, Misty is a robot made for developers of every skill level.

Inspired by the household robot imagery that he grew up with, like Rosie in the Jetsons and the android assistants in Star Wars, Bernstein started building his own robots when he was just 12. Eight years ago, he launched Sphero, an app-enabled, connected play robotic ball now used in STEM education programs in 10,000-15,000 schools worldwide. From there he developed the popular home version of BB-8, a droid character in the Star Wars franchise. Misty is the next generation of Bernstein's robot imagination, an outgrowth of his interest in telepresence robotics. Taking a page from devices like the Amazon Echo, and how people interact with it, Bernstein decided it was more important that his version of a personal robot leverage the power of personality, with telepresence capabilities, but also much more.

It's easy to program in a variety of languages, as well as through a visual block programming interface. Users can modify robot functionality as desired and it is also hardware hackable. Misty comes equipped with far-field microphones, voice and face recognition, capacitive touch, bump and depth sensors and more. The magnetic panels are easy to remove, as are simple screws in other locations, and the robot is well equipped with serial and USB ports, along with an Arduino backpack to enable further customization of responses and actions.

Misty comes in two versions, with an MSRP of $3200 although there are discounts and a referral program to reduce costs. Misty I is available now, and Misty II ships in December. Right out of the box, Misty is able to generate a detailed floor plan of your home, and charge herself at the nearest outlet, as well as perform some other basic tasks. With a wealth of developer tools on the website and an active developer community, imagination is the only limit to creating customized user functionality with Misty. You don't even have to own the robot yet, to be active in the Misty Robotics community. All you need is an interest in robots.

You can learn more and follow Misty's journey at the Misty Robotics website.

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.

Glorius Corporation is an online platform which caters to international buyers who are looking to finance homes here in the United States. Cofounder, Renee Crawford was available to discuss the details with us. They launched earlier this year and aim to bring these very specific buyers together with lenders who specialize in foreign investment mortgages. To begin, they have focused on property in Florida, but are looking to expand to other states as the business grows.

There is definitely a market for real estate sales to buyers and investors from other countries. It is not, however, always easy for these buyers to obtain financing for these large purchases. Most conventional lending institutions have little to no appetite for making loans in this arena due to the potential risks. And the application process is long and cumbersome with multiple requests for more documentation and can still result in your loan request being denied. Renee and her partner saw a perfect opportunity to help both buyers and investors and seized the opportunity.

If you are not a citizen of the United States, but are looking to purchase property and don't want to use up all of your cash in the process, Glorius is ready to assist. They make the financing process quick and easy with closings in as little as 5-10 days in some cases. They also enable you to look at multiple lenders and loan options with the ability to negotiate your own terms. No credit reports are required and it's up to you if you want to provide financial statements of income and assets for improved terms. You will receive help throughout the process, removing the pain of complex and restrictive guidelines. And your personal data will remain anonymous until you agree and accept the terms you negotiate with your lender.

And the service is unmatched on the investment side, as well. If you are looking for better investments with high return & low risk, Glorius will match you up with the right buyer. You'll be brought together with private individuals to negotiate your terms and manage the documentation directly. You will be the holder of the mortgage and have the ability to choose the terms, interest rates and points that best fit your plans.

You can get more information in the full interview, as well as by visiting their website.

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.

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.

Mai Atta is a co-founder of Humachina, a career board site powered by Marvin, an artificial intelligence career coach who crunches the numbers to help users find the perfect job. Currently in beta mode, Humachina aims to help both job seekers and those seeking career advancement.

Atta and her team, all from Cairo, were inspired to develop Humachina as a result of their convoluted journeys to their current careers. They worked in fields outside their majors and spent years uncovering their true passions and discovering the right paths to them. They felt there should be a better way to explore career options more efficiently at an earlier stage. Thus was born Humachina, which uses sets of psychological assessments within a holistic framework to suggest career, development and vocational options for job seekers intended to be in closer alignment with their actual skills and interests, so users can develop greater professional awareness to make more informed career decisions.

When a user registered on the site, a short two-minute chat with Marvin the AI Career Counselor gives the AI system a sense of where the job seeker is, and where he or she wants to be. Then Marvin creates a customized profile for the user, which can be accessed and updated as needed. Where the usual ratio of job counselor-to-student is about one per 500 students, Marvin is a dedicated personal adviser. The platform helps users identify valuable skills for the current job market, learn what's new in the employment arena, makes professional learning and development recommendations, and helps source related online MOOCs and relevant offline courses at nearby Community Colleges or Universities.

Whether someone wants to be a data scientist or a professional surfer, Marvin makes no judgments, only crunches the numbers. It can detect if a user is bored, or focused more on skills than interests, or if the user wants to say something further. The AI will provide percentages of career fit, plus odds for success based on career development paths, predicting when the user will be able to achieve the career of choice, based on the selected professional and personalized Learning Path. It also helps select the best style of learning for the user, based on whether it understands the user to be a visual or auditory learner. With a database of 140,000 jobs, Marvin can also make recommendations based on location, travel and relocation preferences.

Rolling out Humachina at Collision 2018, Atta and her team are hoping for exposure and funding, so they can expand out beyond their proof-of-concept beta test location in New York City. You can meet Marvin at the company website to learn more.

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.

WorkHERO by Encast is a great platform designed for employees to be excited about their potential ability to be philanthropic and support a charity or cause that they truly love and are passionate about. This sits very well with them and the results are that the company they work for has better productivity and happier employees. Verizon and Campbells have funded a research project called ROI that interviewed a lot of companies and found that corporate social responsibility programs that use platforms like this see a 7.5% increase in engagement and 13% increase in productivity.

CEOs like WorkHERO because having happy and satisfied employees reduces turnovers. It has been proven that there is a 31% increase in productivity and a 37% increase in sales when WorkHERO was available in their company. When a company has to let someone go, there is a loss in the productivity of their position. There has to be a replacement and that costs the company money to train someone new. It is 10 times more costly to attract and hire a new employee than to retain an existing one.

Millennials make up more than 50% of the current workforce today and they want more than just a job. They are looking for work culture and community involvement so to them their job has meaning. They feel a stronger sense of loyalty to their employer when the company embraces charitable giving that aligns with their passions and community projects. WorkHERO allows employees and employers to find that common ground.

WorkHERO is the only workplace giving tool that offers fee-free giving. The management felt that it was an important part of their business model because it guarantees that the charities receive more of the pledged money than with any other platform.

For more information go to encast.gives.

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.

ShuttleBee is a tech-enabled transportation service for kids. A what? No, you read that correctly. And founder, Kristina Fahl, stopped by our Collision 2018 studio to explain how this idea really isn't all that far-fetched.

In a nutshell, they take kids from one place to another. And we admit when you first hear the concept, one of the first things to come to mind is... I would never put my children in a rideshare vehicle alone. But then when you really think about it, we do it all of the time, with friends and family, on school buses and in daycare vans. And certainly without all of the ingenuity and safety features that come built into ShuttleBee. This platform offers brand new options for getting your kids to school, activities, and events. They are fully insured and operate with strict protocols designed to keep your kids safe. Their drivers and walking supervisors are our well-vetted and the routes are always monitored.

We are all caught up in our own hectic lives. Juggling multiple balls to keep everything running as smoothly as possible. But inevitably, life throws us those monkey wrenches that can be tough to dodge. From getting the kids to school while not missing those early morning meetings to needing to get different kids to different activities in different parts of town. We can all use an extra hand (or car) from time to time. And you definitely will not have to worry about them not being "in your sights" while they are riding. Services include a Route Supervisor who is immediately available while the kids are in transit. There is also instant message via chat included as well as GPS monitoring. And if you're like us, you'll have that up during the entire ride.

There are three ways to use their services. Whether you need to use them on a regular basis, or as the perfect back up plan, ShuttleBee has a plan for you. They offer Group Transportation, have Hourly Rates and also Custom Chauffeur/Event Services. All are great options to safely get your kids where they need to go. The Group Transportation is for parents who are looking to set up daily transportation for their children. ShuttleBee works with them to match their kid's travel plan with other children heading in the same direction. They consider it their most cost-effective plan. The Hourly Rate plan is for parents who are looking to book a group by minivan or daycare bus routine service or things like single field trips or events. This option makes it easy for the cost to be divided among riders if needed. Lastly, the Chauffeur Service is perfect for specific appointments or those early-mornings work meetings that keep you from being able to drop the kids off at school. This service will offer routes that are competitively priced and include in-vehicle video monitoring.

If you would like more information about this unique and convenient service, make sure to check out the full interview and then head over to their website for more specifics and updates.

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.

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.