The event once known as the Consumer Electronics Show, CES, is upon us once again, and once again we're ringing in the new year with a range of health and fitness device announcements from both established players and new upstarts. We've already reported this week on the latest from Fitbit and Withings, as well as Under Armour's new foray, with HTC, into connected fitness hardware. All that is below, plus many more health and wellness devices that were unveiled at CES this year.
Below you'll find an app-connected pregnancy test, a non-invasive hemoglobin-sensing device for athletes, a smart bra, and a wearable health product from L'Oreal -- not a brand you'd usually associate with connected health. As CES is still ongoing, this list isn't exhaustive. We'll update with additional announcements as they come out.
HealthBox from HTC and Under Armour
Co-developed with HTC, the HealthBox is a package consisting of three new devices from Under Armour. UA Band is wristworn activity tracker designed for athletes, UA Heart Rate is a chest strap heart monitor to measure workout intensity and estimate calories burned, and UA Scale is a WiFi weight scale that also measures body fat percentage. The HealthBox will be available for $400 at Under Armour stores starting January 22, and will then role out to other US locations in the first quarter. International sales will begin later in the year.
Unlike Surge, Fitbit's Blaze has a color display and offers on-screen workouts, powered by FitStar, a company Fitbit acquired last year. Similar to Surge, the device also provides users with workout summaries, call and text notification, and music control. Blaze has a five day battery life. It also uses GPS to track runs, offers continuous heart rate monitoring, and keeps tabs on sleep. Fitbit Blaze is available for preorder for $199.95 on the company’s website. Starting in March, the device will be available at retail locations including Amazon, Best Buy, Brookstone, Verizon, and Target.
Misfit announced two new devices, Ray, an activity tracker, and Specter, a pair of sleep-tracking headphones. Similarly to Misfit 2, Ray has a three-axis accelerometer and a vibration feature that reminds users to get up and move throughout the day, notifies them of a call or text, and serves as a silent alarm. Ray is priced at $99 and Specter doesn’t yet have a price. Both will be available by the end of 2016.
Withings announced an infrared thermometer. Rather than being inserted in the mouth or armpit, Thermo measures temperature from the temporal artery on the die of the head. The user simply holds the thermometer next to their head or a child’s head and an array of 16 independent infrared sensors measure the heat being emitted. The company plans to launch the device this quarter and sell it for $99.95. The connected app will be available for both Apple and Android phones.
Go, which will sell for $69.95, is a durable light-weight tracker with an E-ink screen. It has an eight-month battery life and can be worn as a clip, pendant, or on the wrist.
Sleep Number announced a new connected bed which includes its SleepIQ algorithm and predictive modeling, as well as ActiveComfort technology that lets the bed adjust firmness and support to the user’s needs. It also has an API that would allow it to interact with other connected devices, perhaps suggesting a different sleep setting after a long workout. The bed will be available in 2016 for $1,000.
Polar released a smart scale that interacts with its Polar Flow app and wearable devices like the Polar Loop line. The scale tracks weight and BMI and can keep track of up to 10 different family members. With the wearable, though, the Polar Flow app can use weight and activity data to motivate the user to reach a target weight and track their progress losing weight. Polar Balance is on sale for $99.90 from Polar's website.
Intel made a few different announcements at CES this year. A couple of them pertained to its tiny computer module Curie, which will cost $10 and begin shipping this quarter. Through partnerships with ESPN and Red Bull Intel is incorporating the chip into a BMX bike and a snowboard. The company also announced Radar Pace, a pair of smart goggles that are being developed with Oakley. Radar Pace will visually track the user’s run and offer them realtime coaching tips. It’s set to launch some time this year.
Philips showed off a number of health devices, including a smart toothbrush for kids, an app-connected baby monitor, a biometric-tracking smartwatch, a connected diabetes platform with Radboudumc and a connected weight scale. Some are new, some came out at various times over the past year.
GreatCall unveiled the Lively Wearable by GreatCall. The device, worn on the wrist or around the neck, tracks activity and offers a mobile emergency response service via a one-touch button that connects seniors to a team of highly trained agents in emergency situations. The Lively Wearable sends data it collects from the band to a companion app via Bluetooth. The app also offers users mental, physical, and social activity challenges throughout the day. The Lively Wearable will be available for purchase on GreatCall’s website beginning in the spring of 2016 and in retail locations starting this summer. The device will cost $99.99 and the mobile emergency response service costs $14.99.
L’Oreal’s MyUVPatch (with MC10)
Cosmetics company L’Oreal has teamed up with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based flexible electronics company MC10 to create MyUVPatch, an adhesive patch users can apply to their skin, then consult a mobile app to track their UV exposure. It will role out to consumers later this year.
OMsignal, which already makes a line of smart, fitness monitoring clothing, is adding a sports bra to its lineup. The bra is adjustable, available in different styles, and tracks breathing, heart rate, workout intensity, and even calculates calories burned. A companion app lets the user see the data. A “smart box” on the bra stores data, so users can leave their phone at home when they go on a run and still record the data. The bra is expected to sell for $149 and to ship in the Spring.
Masimo added a new tracking parameter to its MightySat pulse oximeter, respiration rate. The device already measures arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), pulse rate (PR), perfusion index (PI), and Plethysmograph Variability Index (PVI). Masimo’s pulse ox is marketed to atheletes and pilots to track their breathing and blood oxygenation. The new version of the device will be available by the end of February.
First Response has the first app-connected pregnancy test on display at CES. The app will walk the user through the test, tell them when their sample has been processed, and entertain them while they wait for results with a choice of distracting, calming, or educational video material. It will cost around $20.
Orange County, California-based startup True Wearables showed off it’s first product: a disposable pulse oximeter called Oxxiom. The device is tiny (it weighs less than 4 grams) and offers 24-hour continuous monitoring. It can send data to mobile devices, tablets, laptops and desktops and is expected to ship in Q2 2016. The company didn’t mention a price point.
MedWand debuted its device of the same name, a handheld medical scanner that combines a thermometer, heart rate sensor, blood oxygen sensor, otoscope, and digital stethoscope. The device will retail for $249 alone or $695 with a tablet preloaded with all the required software, Plastics Today reported, and is set to launch some time this year.
LifeFuels Smart Nutrition Bottle
Every CES seems to bring its share of smart water bottles, but LifeFuels adds another twist. As well as tracking water intake, the device can add calibrated amounts of nutritional additives to the water via attached “fuelpods”. The company sold out of a first run of products and is now taking preorders for a second. The bottle plus 10 fuelpods sells for $195.
Belty announced its self-adjusting smart belt at CES 2015 but it never came out. This time around, they announced Belty Good Vibes, a redesigned smart belt that also vibrates to remind the user to get moving. Currently on preorder for $395, the company hopes to have the device launched by December 2016.
Beijing and Silicon Valley-based Zepp is working on incorporating sensors directly into baseball bats, tennis racquets, badminton racquets, cricket bats, golf gloves and other sports equipment to give feedback to athletes about their performance. A smart baseball bat is the first test case and a prototype will be shown of at CES. Zepp hasn’t announced a release date.
Connected sexual health company OhMiBod announced a smart kegel exerciser that uses both voice and haptic feedback to guide women through pelvic floor strengthening exercises. The device will preorder for $75 and retail for $129, and it will be available in the spring.
A&D Medical’s LifeSource UltraConnect
A&D Medical showed off two blood pressure monitors, a wrist-worn and upper arm-worn model. The devices are app-connected but can also stand alone, storing up to 100 readings without connecting to the device. A&D hasn’t announced a price point, but plans to have the devices available in the summer.
iFit with Early Sense integration
iFit, a maker of activity trackers, is incorporating EarlySense technology into its smart mattress through a partnership just announced at CES. EarlySense’s connected sleep sensor will be integrated with iFit mattresses and mattress covers, allowing users to monitor sleep quality and vital signs including to heart rate and respiratory rate, and get personalized tips to improve sleep and overall wellness.
At CES, Gyenno introduced a smart self-correcting fork and spoon to counteract Parkinson’s tremors. The last company that developed that same technology, Lift, was acquired by Google last year. They also unveiled a connected cup with an LCD screen. The cup tracks liquid consumed, reminds users to drink, and displays data about the amount of liquid in the cup, the weather, and the time.
Cercacor launched Ember, a noninvasive hemoglobin tracker for athletes. It’s a handheld wireless device that uses light waves to measure pulse rate and hemoglobin. The device, which includes a finger clip sensor and a mobile phone-sized device, connects to an app via Bluetooth.
Razer's CES announcement was the Nabu Watch, an attempt at a hybrid digital watch and smartwatch. The device even includes two batteries -- a traditional coin cell battery that powers the essential watch functions and a rechargeable battery that powers the smart "second screen". The fitness tracking capabilities, including tracking of steps, distance, active minutes, calories burned, and sleep, are contained in the second display. The Nabu Watch will be available in late January for $149.99, with a premium "forged" edition available for $199.99.
Force Impact Technologies' FITGuard
FITGuard aims to detect and prevent concussions through the form factor of a smart mouthguard. LEDs on the device light up to tell coaches at a glance how dangerous the impact of a blow was, so they can make the call about whether players need to sit out for a while or even see a doctor. The company hopes to have the device out in time for football season this year, at a $129 price point.
Samsung's S Patch and Welt
Samsung demoed the bioprocessor in a chest-worn ECG prototype device called the S Patch. You can see just that portion of their keynote here. A demo video of Samsung’s much-hyped Family Hub fridge also showed the fridge displaying the statistics from the father’s workout, tracked via a wearable device, as he walked in the door.
And in addition to a smart fridge, Samsung showed off its own take on the smart belt. Samsung’s Welt (it’s a portmanteau of wellness and belt). The device, a creative prototype that may or may not be released to the public, tracks the user’s steps and waist size and warns them if they might be overeating.
Profusa, a new company working on tiny integrated biosensors, showed off it's first sensor, Lumee, designed to monitor issue oxygen levels on various parts of the body, either for the long or short term. The tiny sensor is packaged with a handheld reader (shown) that can be used to get data off the device. The system is slated to be available in Europe in early 2016.
Mio's new tracker also comes with a new fitness metric to track, called PAI (personal activity intelligence). It's based on the Norwegian Hunt Study that established a relationship between longevity and activity. The score combines age, gender, and maximum and resting heart rates into one number that the user is encouraged to keep under 100 in order to lengthen their lifespan. The device will be available later this year for $99.
Omron debuted two new blood pressure monitors at CES, one worn on the wrist and one on the upper arm. Both are wireless, tubeless monitors that connect to an app via Bluetooth, and the wristworn device also tracks activity and sleep. The devices are due out some time in 2016 -- the company didn't specify a price point.
VivaLnk announced the Vital Scout, a flexible, breathable electronic circuit which contains multiple sensors that continuously monitor critical body functions. The non-invasive, water-resistant patch attaches to the chest with medical-grade adhesives, where it can be worn for 72 hours before recharging its battery. Both Vital Scout and Fever Scout, a similar patch technology announced last year, are set to be available in mid-2016.
Iris Apfel's Socialite line for WiseWear
Iris Apfel, a 94-year-old fashion icon who has worked at Women’s Wear Daily and for interior designer Elinor Johnson, has partnered with WiseWear to develop a line stylish health tracking devices. The line, called Socialite, includes three bracelets that all cost $299.99. Each bracelet offers vibration notifications for incoming calls, texts, emails, and calendar reminders, a distress signal that will send an alert to the user’s contacts, and activity tracking features. Apfel told Mashable that although she never imagined designing a tech device, she saw a need for health tracking devices that were more fashionable. "If a technology is going to strive to save my life, then at least take the next step to make me look good while doing it," she told Mashable.
