WELLNESS TECH
Innovations from 2023 CES
From virtual smell machines to laptop-charging stationary bike desks, there was no shortage of exciting new gadgets and innovations at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) , which returned to Las Vegas last week. The event was back in full swing, after going fully digital in 2021 and scaling back in a big way in 2022, with more than 3,200 brands exhibiting and more than 100,000 people in attendance. While there’s always a fair share of high-tech TVs and car innovations at CES, this year we’re most excited about some of the advancements in the health tech space. Ahead, three highlights from the annual trade show.
TOILET TECH
What if we told you the future of health tech can be found in your…toilet? (Don’t worry, we’ll spare you the potty humor.) After four years in development, tech startup Withings shared its WiFi-connected sensor, a discreet gadget that goes inside your toilet bowl and analyzes your urine, tracking everything from nutrient levels to hydration to hormones. Withings isn’t the only company looking to the toilet for answers; Casana introduced a new product called “The Heart Seat,” a smart toilet seat that monitors heart rate, blood pressure, and other vitals while you, well, you know.
SELFIE TECH
Giving new meaning to self(ie) care, the French startup i-Virtual debuted a device called Caducy, which measures health data via selfie. The gadget analyzes a 30-second video selfie in the cloud using artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms, and then an accompanying app shares valuable health data like heart rate, respiratory rate, and stress level. i-Virtual wasn’t the only startup teasing out selfie tech; Nuralogix, a Canadian health tech company, announced similar plans to use AI to measure more than 1,000 diagnostics, including blood pressure and heart rate, by analyzing your face from a selfie.
SUPPLEMENT TECH
While custom 3D-printed supplements feel like something out of The Jetsons (or, depending on your POV, Black Mirror), Neutrogena has big plans to make it a reality with its new line of skin-nutrient gummies called Skinstacks. Neutrogena will first scan your face for a “skin reading” via a mobile app, then AI will be utilized to prescribe the vitamins and minerals your skin needs. Finally, a 3D printer will produce the custom chewable gummies, available for $50 for a 28-day supply. The supplements, created in partnership with U.K. supplement startup Nourished, are vegan and sugar-free, and will arrive at your door in plastic-free packaging.