There have been many announcements and reports of new technologies coming out of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Some companies have gotten great PR, and it’s always tough to tell what’s a trend versus what’s hype. Here’s one of the trends I noticed:
Wellness and Fitness Technology
Fitness trackers have been the rage the last couple of years as the Jawbone, Fitbit, and other devices are being used by more and more people. As their popularity grows, fitness companies are expanding their offerings – think Internet of Things for the body. CES saw lots of connected wearable fitness devices, including Under Armor’s Healthbox which connects a fitness wristband, heart rate monitor, scale, smart shoes, and earbuds. Along with smart shoes and smart socks, there was even a smart sports bra, the Ombra (pictured here).
In addition, all sorts of sensors that tie into wellness and fitness were introduced, including a connected thermometer from Withings (seen on the left), and a smart bed from Sleep Number that tracks your heart rate, breathing, and movement. Philips is a bit late to the game, but had some other interesting health-related technology, like a smart toothbrush for kids, although most of their offerings seemed pretty specialized or clinical (and greatly in need of a layperson’s explanation from a good PR person).
This continues to be a growing market as sensors get cheaper and more and more people take ownership over their health. I think we’ll also continue to see more and more sensors combined into a single tool, like the Medwand, introduced at CES. While a few companies introduced tools that let consumers view their own health data, I think the next step will be combining the incredible amount of data that’s available, and finding a way for their doctor to help them decipher it.
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