Tech giants and scrappy startups alike were showing off their wares last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Major trends at this year’s show include smart homes and cars, wearable devices, and of course the usual crowd of bigger and snazzier TVs. There was also a wide array of health related products, mostly wearables that track things like footsteps, heart rate, and calorie burn.
Here are some of the more interesting health related gadgets at this year’s event:
Kolibree connected toothbrush. A friend of dentists everywhere and a big step up from the Justin Bieber singing toothbrush; this technology has some real potential. Scheduled to ship later this year with a retail price of between $100 and $200, this smart connected toothbrush is aimed at improving overall dental health. After downloading the accompanying app and connecting it to the toothbrush via Bluetooth, each brush stroke is recorded. Your whole family can track how long they’ve brushed and whether they’re brushing in all the right places.
Withings Aura is one of several smart devices at this year’s show that will track your sleep patterns. This one isn’t wearable. It comes in two parts, a sensor for under your mattress, and a lamp and audio system for your bedside table. The sensor pad measures motion, including heart rate, breathing, and body movement. The bedside lamp senses noise pollution, lighting, and room temperature and can adjust the light and sound in your room to sync with your sleep patterns.
The Aura is a cool $299 and can sync with your phone as well as other Withings apps and devices for measuring blood pressure, weight and general fitness. The Aura will go on sale this spring.
Other sleep related products at CES include a sensor from Boston-based startup Sensible Baby that attaches to a baby’s sleepwear to measure temperature, orientation and movement. The sensor sounds a smartphone app alarm if it detects a problem. And the Sleepow is a pillow that plays tones at slightly different frequencies for each ear, which its maker claims promotes relaxation.
LG’s heart rate earphones have a PerformTek sensor in each earbud that measure blood flow into the external part of your ear. You can get continuous data on your heart rate and oxygen consumption via Bluetooth. Earphones in general are big at this year’s event, with multiple companies offering new twist-and-lock designs and washable headgear especially for runners and other sports enthusiasts. The LG earphones will retail at $180 and are set to hit the stores later this year.
Corning’s antimicrobial Gorilla Glass is improving the hygiene of smartphone users everywhere. Smartphone screens are a cesspit of germs, but this glassmaker infuses its product with silver ions that rebuff up to 99.9% of common bacteria found in homes and on your phone screen.
Netatmo JUNE wristband is especially made for those who don’t know when to apply sunscreen or get some shade. This studded leather bracelet has an embedded UV sensor that syncs with a phone app to tell you when you’re in danger of becoming a crispy critter. The app can be personalized with info about your skin type so the device can determine just what level of sun exposure is safe for you. The JUNE can also be worn as a brooch and will retail for $99 in the spring.
Tinke sensor. Finally, a fitness sensor that doesn’t require you to, you know, exercise. While most of the fitness gadgets at this year’s show are designed to be used during activity, the Tinke is made for bodies at rest. According to maker Zensorium, that’s the best time to measure your fitness level. The touch-sensitive Tinke is available for both Android and iOS and users can keep constant track of their respiratory rate, blood oxygen level, heart rate, and heart rate variability. The iOS version costs $119, while the Android version runs $129.
This article originally appeared on PTC Product Life Cycle Stories.
