Smart beds, disease detectors and other cool health tech at CES
Health, wellness and food are some of the most popular trends at this year's CES event, the world's largest technology show. For the first time in the confab's 55-year history, a health care company executive will deliver the main keynote. Abbott CEO Robert Ford is scheduled to deliver remarks about tech and fighting COVID-19 when CES opens to the public on Wednesday, underscoring the growing importance of consumer electronics in health care.
Tech for tracking personal health has been popular at CES for years, said Steve Koenig, vice president of research at the Consumer Technology Association, the company that owns CES. This year's crop of gadgets often comes "infused with artificial intelligence, which makes health trackers more useful."
Koenig also said that food tech is improving as the consumer market matures. "There's greater demand for a wide variety of products. Our big trend might be that products that were introduced in previous years are becoming more useful" because of advances in tech like 5G and AI.
From COVID-detecting air scanners to smart toilets, here are some of the most interesting health tech products at CES this year.
Bulo — A handheld portable device, designed for athletes and people with active lifestyles, that uses AI to analyze breath and lung capacity over time.
Opteev — If Obteev's Virawarn works as advertised, the "instant accurate COVID detection" system could be a game changer for offices.
Sleep Number's 360 Smart Bed — A smart bed that uses algorithms to help improve the quality of your sleep, reduce stress and track resting data over time.
Cyto-AiSCAN — The AI-powered pastry scanner analyzes baked goods for possible carcinogens.
Bru — An internet-connected tea maker that uses AI to steep your personalized brew to perfection.
Toto Wellness Toilet and IoT cleanliness products — Designed to analyze your health and fitness any time you use the bathroom. The company's smart-toilet lineup now includes a range of internet-connected bathroom sensors that sync with your smartphone to track your health over time.
Safeware - The digital hip protection airbag belt is designed to prevent hip fractures among high-risk users, such as hospital patients and the elderly.
Narwal J2 - A robotic self-cleaning robot that vacuums and mops.
TestNPass - The digital "test strip" connects to your smartphone to scan your body for the presence of biomarkers of diseases like COVID-19.
Withings Body Scale - This smart-scale has sensors that record your weight, ECG and small nerve activity.
