When I stepped onto the showroom floor in Las Vegas earlier this week at CES, the world’s largest tech industry trade show, I felt a sense of dread. I’ve been coming to shows for a decade, off and on, and the story is always the same: the industry has made new gadgets for you, and they’re slightly better than the old ones. Despite the hype, it often isn’t anything that revolutionary.
But this year the atmosphere was a little different.
There was no shortage of new machines on the CES showroom floor that were actually slightly better than the old ones, and that would make your life easier or more fun — TVs, robotic vacuum cleaners, Fancy phone charger. What really stood out, however, was the growing number of things designed to make you – and the planet – healthier.
Everything from advanced fitness trackers to portable solar energy systems show that innovation means more than cramming more pixels into a display or adding AI features to a washing machine. It gives me hope that technology companies, despite the frustration and doom they sometimes bring to people, can ultimately lead us to a better future.
CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, takes over Las Vegas in early January, and it’s a big deal. show last year attracted about 140,000 peopleFellow industry analysts, buyers at major retailers, venture capitalists and journalists like myself, all of whom have seen the latest gadgets and wild ideas, e.g. Samsung’s rolling robot Which can turn your floor into a curtain. This is the show where decisions are made about what kind of technology you can buy – but only in the near future. It’s just as fun as going to an amusement park where you’re only allowed to see the rides.
the show start As a small phenomenon in New York City in the late 60s and where, over the years, the first VCRs, CD players, Nintendo Entertainment Systems, and Xboxes all made their debut. But at this year’s show, I found myself spending more time in unexpected corners of the convention center, where categories like digital health and energy conservation were on display.
Health 2.0
Digital health probably makes you think of fitness trackers or Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuffs, but the category is expanding in unexpected directions. There are new ways to collect health data, amazing ways to monitor your brainwaves, and even AI-powered platforms that promise to make your whole family healthier.
And, of course, there’s the fitness tracker. Along with the viral popularity of the Aura Ring, there were several other smart rings at the show, including One is called EVwhich has an AI-powered chatbot trained on medical journals. There were also other ways to track your health, viz LingoAn over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor that works with an app-based fitness coach. (This is the same technology that doctors now increasingly prescribe for people with diabetes.)
Speaking of coaches and AI, of all companies Panasonic Anthropic’s Claude is launching a wellness coach for the whole family powered by AI. it is Called UmiAnd it’s something I would consider using for my own family like keeping track of everyone’s feelings and even coming up with ideas for fun activities we can do together.
Health trackers also took various forms of factors. Master & Dynamic, an audio company, is now selling a set of headphones Can actually read your brain waves Thanks to technology from a startup called Neurable AI There are electroencephalography (EEG) sensors built into the earcups that actually sense how much you’re paying attention to something. I tried the headphones and was blown away by the accuracy.
Somewhat similarly, a Canada-based company called Myant makes “smart textiles,” which is a phrase I didn’t expect to encounter at CES. They are literal the clothes you wear Those have sensors woven into the threads so your underwear or an armband can continuously monitor health metrics, including heart rate and body temperature.
This year, Myant is releasing a new generation of its technology that can capture EKG readings and continuously measure blood pressure. With all this data, your doctor can get a better picture of your health than what periodic check-ins from a smartwatch or ring can offer.
“We’re developing a DSL cable in the human body to really connect to the human operating system,” Mayant founder and CEO Tony Chahin said in an interview. “As opposed to thinking of us as a device for one thing, think of us as an interface for many things.”
Health-focused innovations also flourish. Probably the most potentially powerful discovery I’ve seen in the entire show OnMed CareStation. It is basically a portable clinic that can be dropped in rural areas or even in underdeveloped communities in the middle of the city. Once the patient enters, they are greeted by a human healthcare professional on a life-size screen and guided through any number of diagnostic tests with tools like blood pressure cuffs and an otoscope that descends from the ceiling.
It’s basically a much more powerful and comprehensive version of making telehealth appointments on your phone. The whole thing needs a power outlet to run and is internet-connected thanks to Starlink. But the company’s CEO Karthik Ganesh insists that the fancy kiosk is about more than hardware.
“We’ve spent too much energy thinking technology is a silver bullet,” Ganesh told me, explaining that OnMed’s CareStations redefine how people can meet their health care needs. In some cases, it gives people living in health care deserts access to a doctor’s office they wouldn’t otherwise have.
A healthy world
While I wasn’t expecting to see so many exciting health-based innovations at the show, I was expecting a lot of talk about sustainability and energy transformation. I was not disappointed.
A booth featuring three companies embracing renewable energy gave a good example of how clean technology is coming to our homes in a meaningful way. One of them started making a camp stove called Biolite that can charge your phone but is now getting into the home energy business with it. A battery called backup It can function effectively as a generator in case of a blackout.
At the same booth was a similar company called Copper, which is making battery-equipped appliances, including An induction range It also works in a blackout. Finally, there was the gradient that made it Window-mounted heat pumps (It still has no batteries) that promises more energy-efficient heating and cooling in millions of homes.
The energy transition is actually something that almost every company I’ve talked to is focused on. All of this new technology underscores a real shift at the show: For decades, innovation meant TVs looked better or speakers sounded better, but if you’re to believe many companies at CES this year, it’s now all about using technology in our lives. – and our world – do better.
John Deere is electrifying its tractor fleet — and making them autonomous to save energy. Volkswagen is developing a line of satellite-connected electric SUVs Under the old Scout brand. Samsung and LG are expanding their lineup of heat pumps and Heat pump driven dryer All of which are now internet-connected.
Even Sony An EV is about to start selling In partnership with Honda. I sat on it, and surrounded by screens and lidar sensors, it felt like living in a sci-fi reality. (It would have cost about $100,000, so it was probably my one and only time in that car.)
My CES adventure this year lasted the better part of a week, and as I left the showroom floor for the final time, the panic lifted and I felt somehow excited about the future of agriculture, smart cities, healthcare, and even cooking. Of course, what’s currently at CES could take months or years to make its way into the real world. It’s okay to feel impatient. Good things are on the way.
