Given the rain and the stepped up security, it already feels like a very different Consumer Electronics Show. The trends that began in earnest in recent years are becoming more widespread. Smart homes merging with health tech, apparel companies branching into health tech and tech-heavy earphones in abundance.
UnderArmour’s move to go beyond apparel and data aggregation to develop its own health tech says a lot about the kind of evolution, or some would say convergence, we are seeing in health and wellness.
What new questions can connected fitness data raise? Under Armour is a great illustration of the convergence in digital health at CES. It launched Healthbox at the show in a collaboration with HTC, a move that demonstrates what it has learned since it acquired digital health data tracking companies MyFitnessPal last year and MapMyFitness in 2013. Though a suite of connected devices — a heart monitor, a bluetooth connected scale and an activity tracker — it makes assessments of datasets such as sleep, calorie consumption and exercise and transmits recommendations. As Wired noted in an article profiling the company, it is “taking a comprehensive approach when everyone else is piecemeal.” What’s next? It is coming full circle with embedded accelerometer in sneakers set to debut next month, according to Wired.
How much smarter can we make smartwatches?
Fitbit Blaze is the company’s throwdown to the Apple Watch. Although it doesn’t yet have the aspirations of ResearchKit or providing a way for other companies to use its tech, it could definitely pose a threat in the world of consumer wellness. It’s presented as a way to present onscreen workouts,as well as sleep tracking, call and music management. But with that huge face, even a subtle flesh colored leather wristband doesn’t hide it.
How will Misfit make its mark on Fossil Group?
In a phone interview with Preston Moxcey, the Fossil Group vice president of Wearable Technology, he noted that Misfit had kept to its minimalist sensor tech approach. It’s been a few months since its Misfit’s acquisition by Fossil Group in November. He said upwards of 100 connected devices would be launched across the company’s portfolio of brands, though he declined to be more specific. But Moxcey reiterated that it doesn’t overload wearables with technology just because it can. Instead, it would focus on a simplified user experience and longer battery life or adding value in another way, rather than run the risk of adding something that undermines battery life without improving the user experience. Moxcey said that some of the Fossil brands have an active line. With other brands that are more sparkle, no sweat, it would be more about creating and fostering communication.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
“The fundamental technology has the ability to enhance communication. Each of the brands will use the technology to create their own recipes their users,” he said. Among the devices unveiled at the conference is its Ray wearable. Although it’s designed to look like a, it tracks activity and sleep through a thee-axis accelerometer. It is also similar to Misfit Shine 2 in that it includes vibration to provide more nuanced user feedback.
How will wearables navigate between smart homes and health? First Alert built a name for itself in those cheesy but scary images of a room filling up with smoke. But what about the health risks you can’t see, such as carbon monxide? Its Onelink smartwatch app device informs users at a glance regarding the status of a room’s environment instead of having to rely on a passive wall monitor to alert users,. It can change color to show shifts in temperature or other conditions.Fear is a powerful call to action. Its Wi-Fi Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm claims to protect against the threats of smoke and carbon monoxide, and notifies users on their iOS devices in the event of an emergency. It seems especially well suited for family caregivers who can’t always be available.
