Category Archives: Future of Healthcare

CES:

CES also known as the Consumer Electronics Show is an exposition annually held in the Las Vegas Convention Center. It has been the popularized center of innovation and is widely known for its significant releases from major companies and startups that are introducing life-changing products and concepts for both the consumer and businesses.

 

Why is such a large exposition so impactful in today’s society?

CES has been around for over 50 years and was first held in New York and Chicago. During these early years CES’s focus mainly directed exhibitors to entertainment products such as TVs and Audio Devices, but slowly began to grow to many different markets such as the Videogame Industry and other consumer electronics such as more advanced cellular technology and inventive household products. Around CES 2016 is when exhibitors began to see a rise in the advances in Healthcare and Wearable Fitness Tracking followed by virtual and assistive devices meant for doctors and healthcare workers alike. By CES 2020 we were presented with all kinds of advances in this market segment as the interest in healthcare tech exploded and the trend of health data benefitting healthcare companies more than financial data became very apparent. The impact of these new technology advances provides more and more accurate information to healthcare providers so that they can better aid patients and consumers. At the same time, they are also providing the information to consumers directly via health tracking products such as wearables. The following article will delve into the details all of the new products that are relevant to health and how they are impacting the world half a year later.

 

 

Impactful Healthcare Technology from Large Corporations:

 

Proctor & Gamble (P&G):

Summary: P&G is currently the largest consumer health and personal care corporation that parents some of the greatest leading brands in consumer products across the world. It was founded back in 1837 and has since bought out and started some of the most recognizable brands of today such as Gillette, Tide, Bounty, and so much more. They are also the world’s biggest advertiser.

 

Subsidiaries of P&G that unveiled new products at CES 2020:

 

OPTE –

The product presented was a skincare device that “detects tonal imperfections” and blemishes due to stress and other underlying issues and corrects the tone using “camouflaging optimizing serum”. The final product is a wand-like device that scans and detects spots and claims to work on 98% of skin tones. The serum is a proprietary formula that is supposed to use natural minerals and skincare ingredients to immediately create a natural look and allow skin to “retain moisture and stay hydrated” while also “reducing the appearance of age spots over time”. While early users got to experience the conceptual version of the product, it’s purpose/effectiveness as a real dermatologic solution is still unclear as the actual product has not actually been released to the public as of this writing.

Pampers –

One of the largest brands focused on infant and baby products has unveiled their new smart monitoring system “Lumi” which comes in a number of packages and allows parents to monitor their infants nap. Depending on the package Lumi can provide an all-in-one camera with night vision and a 2-way microphone, disposable tracking stickers that allow a parent to monitor sleep/vitals/bowel movements via patterns it detects, and a smartphone app in which a parent can access full HD 1080p, 180-degree view video and analysis from the tracker with secure encryption to ensure that a baby is safe and nurtured at all times. This product is now on the market and is fairly successful. It was satisfactory to most consumers based on reviews and Pampers is continuing to sell their packages at different prices on their site.

 

Oral-B iO –

The iO is a smart toothbrush that uses a linear magnetic drive system that “leads more of the mechanics to the point of the brushing to every individual bristle” and is 20x more likely to cover all the surfaces in your mouth. 3D tracking technology that connects to smartphone learns how you brush and demonstrates it in a proprietary app. This may be the most successful of P&G’s new production line as it is currently the most advanced smart toothbrush on the market and has sold out in less than a month after being released in early August 2020.

 

 

Philips:

Similar to P&G, Philips is a Dutch international conglomerate corporation with its headquarters based in Amsterdam and founded all the way back in 1891. While formerly being one of the largest electronic companies in the world, Philips has since expanded into the healthcare market focusing mainly on hygienic and mouth care. Now you can find a variety of different Philips products in stores worldwide.

 

SmartSleep –

This is a line of products that connect to an app for smartphones that can analyze and help you sleep via thorough analysis of brainwaves and other tracking methods that promise to treat problems such as snoring and sleep apnea. The only products that this brand has on the market right now are “Light Therapy Lamps” that can aid a user’s circadian rhythm and is selling fairly well on the market as of right now.

 

Pregnancy+ –

Pregnancy+ is simply an app Philips released to aid pregnant women through the stages of pregnancy using a 3D fetal imagery from time of conception to the time a baby is born. The app is currently on the Apple AppStore and Google Play Store for free with in-app purchases and sync with Apple’s Health App.

 

Lumify –

Ultrasound app with a proprietary transducer, or in other words a “portable ultrasound machine” that can plug into a smartphone and actually scan with accuracy a real ultrasound test. As of right now it is not available as a direct to consumer purchase, but can be bought through distributors or through Philips’ website using a contact form. It is unclear as of now how accurate the technology is, but it looks promising from the available online demos.

 

Teledentistry –

This product is still fairly experimental and not for the average consumer, but provides dental smart tools like smart tooth brush that allows you to get checked by a dentist without going in to see one: a big step for tele-health. Like Lumify it is not available as a direct to consumer purchase, but Philips is now allowing a 30-day free trial to their Teledentistry as a service.

 

 

Abbot:

Abbot Laboratories is another large international corporation, but they specialize/focus towards creating medical devices because they are a strictly Health Care-Oriented business. They were founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1888. They have made a significant impact in 2020 with all of the devices for analysis that they created specifically for Covid-19 treatment and testing. Abbot had a fairly small presence in terms of innovative technology during CES 2020 but that will most likely change in 2021.

 

Confirm RX –

This is an implantable cardiac monitor that continuously monitors your heart 24/7 for up to two years. It is meant to keep a user engaged with their vitals and sends information to healthcare provider. It was demonstrated to be a successful implantable device that has improved the accuracy of cardiac monitoring with proven results.

 

FreeStyle Libre –

A smart continuous glucose monitor for people with diabetes that the user wears and scans using NFC on your phone, which then tells you your vitals. This does what other glucose monitors do without need for pricking a finger. It was recently approved by the FDA. The company is currently giving a 14-day free trial for their product on their website.

 

Impactful technology from smaller corporations to keep an eye out for:

 

Sleep Number –

A bed that warms and cools sleepers for an overall better sleep. Research shows that these beds provide up to “100 more hours of restful sleep a year”. It won the “Best of Innovation” Award at CES 2020 and was selected as a CES Innovation Honoree in the categories “Health & Wellness” and “Tech for a Better World”. While the mattresses themselves are fairly priced depending on features (from around $1k – $5k), the complete set will cost a whopping $8,000 and the durability is obviously still unclear since it is in the early stages of its release.

 

Aluna –

This device is a spirometer that helps kids with asthma train their lungs to breathe better with apps and games that actually use your “breath strength” as a parameter to control each game. This seemingly successful product app combo has been featured on The Huffington Post, Forbes, New York Times and in other publications. They have even implemented Covid-19 diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment technology into their latest update.

 

Reducept –

This is a virtual reality app that treats a users’ pain by utilizing visuals to rewire someone’s brain so that it interprets pain differently. As of right now it is offered as a service on VR devices and smartphones and claims that 78% of users experienced less pain after going through the treatment.

 

MedWand –

This device checks all kinds of vitals and sends that information using a pc app to your medical professional via tele-health software. It allows your doctor to conduct a live exam remotely or even conduct the exam yourself for a doctor to review later. The product currently has FDA clearance for Fall 2020 so it is very possible that devices like this may become essential tools for tele-health in the upcoming years.

 

Capillus –

In the wearable category, Capillus uses laser light therapy to regrow hair via wearables that are apparently indiscernible from regular caps. These caps are based on wattage or the electrical power with pricing based on the amount of megawatts claiming the more powerful lasers to be more effective. These caps are a promising hair regrowth tool backed by the FDA and seem to be successful with the first iteration of their product.

 

Bello –

This product analyzes your belly fat and tells you what you should or shouldn’t be including in your diet. It only requires a quick scan of your belly fat and is available for pre-order from the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for now.

 

Withings Scanwatch –

This may seem like your everyday watch, but has been built in ECGs to track for atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, and other diseases. This product was a 2020 Honoree during CES 2020 and the #1 watch with ECG & Sleep Apnea detection worldwide.

 

BrainCo Fitness Headband –

During CES 2020, BrainCo introduced a Headband that could process brainwaves and help a user track how focused they are or how much focus increases from meditation and similar stress-relieving tasks. Since this year’s CES, BrainCo has also released a development kit allowing coders to create treatments and exercises for their proprietary FocusCalm.

 

UrgoNight –

For UrgoNight the headband user wears during the day that will track brain activity to help user sleep at night using apps to amplify “SMR Waves” which are very important in helping one’s sleep. UrgoNight has bee featured on CNN, CNet, and Tech Crunch and was a CES Honoree for Best Innovation.

 

Digitsole –

Integrated electronics in footwear offer consumers more functions for well-being, with a large focus on athletes. These are the first smart insoles that can be connected to a smartphone app for cycling, running, and all kinds of athletics. Via Bluetooth and an app you can review and analyze your results.

 

Eyeque –

This device allows users to take vision tests at home using a smartphone and an attachable VR-like device. While this seems like a late entry into the VR market, this is the first device that is proven to give accurate results and share them with an optometrist with convenience.

 

Myant –

This company is focusing on creating clothing that actually tracks and gives vitals information via a connected smartphone app. While showcasing health-tracking underwear at CES (since that was a clothing most accurate for tracking vitals), Myant has since pivoted to other clothing such as masks and have even gone as far as to make their products detect and treat Covid-19.

 

Omron –

At CES 2020 Omron presented it’s product VitalSight, a remote patient monitoring system that helps doctors monitor blood pressure from the user’s home. The product is available universally for both clinicians and patients at home. Omron is implementing their technology into blood pressure monitors, EKGs, and their newly released wearables, such as blood-pressure checking smartwatches.

 

Owlet –

Since CES, Owelet Baby monitor that tracks baby’s heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep, has been greatly successful on the market, receiving 5 star ratings in a variety of online stores. While not as advanced as Pampers’ “Lumi”, the device included streams live video of the user’s baby/infant to an app that allows extensive monitoring. This product is picking up traction with parents across the US.

 

Snoo –

A responsive baby bassinet that boosts a baby’s sleep. This cradle isn’t the average bed for a baby and will set you back $1,400, but by combining gentle rocking with soothing white noise and snug, safe swaddling this is a technological advancement that the public consumer surely has not witnessed before and can be a huge convenience to parents of newborns.

 

CES 2020 was held remotely this year for safety reasons related to Covid-19, but while it was virtual, it did not yield from showcasing some of the most creative inventions, smartest of smart devices, and eye-opening healthcare technology. CES has progressively shown its ability to produce important changes in the healthcare world and it is exciting to anticipate the inventions that will be showcased next year during CES 2021.