CES, the Consumer Electronic Show, held in Las Vegas each year at this time, has kicked off to a start before its start -- as usual. Already, a number of gadgets and technologies have been shown off at a preview event and if they're anything to go by, Virtual Reality, drones, drones and more drones, smart home controls, and all kinds of connected car tech is what's coming up. Televisions and crazy kitchen appliances are the usual suspects. And then of course, wearables.
One of the strongest trends at the show, already evident, is health, fitness and sports wearables. First, the wearable we all know: Fitbit. The new Fitbit Blaze is to have a colour screen. Also customised bands and frames. It'll monitor heart rate, and will also take on smartwatch-like properties like audio control, and notifications. But there are more innovative wearables around. Here's a sampling:
How about a helmet that stimulates hair growth for balding men? iGrow, developed by Apira, uses low level laser light to get those hair follicles up and active. The laser diodes revolve as they do their work and all the while, the hair-loss-client can listen to music through the device's headphones. With 20-minute sessions twice a week, hair growth takes places of up to 40 percent if kept up for a few months regularly. It works better for younger men who have a balding pattern and uses the ability to regeuvenate. It could work with women too. This helmet is serious stuff and the company claims it's used by 500 doctors. It costs upward of $600 and isn't altogether new though a new version has been showcased as a product now available for home use. It's painless.
As we well know, the world has been losing sleep over sleep. So Misfit, maker of activity trackers, has created a sleep monitoring wearable, called the Ray. It uses an accelerometer to measure movement and vibration to give feedback on sleep. But like its other trackers, it also measures activity and gives nudges to get more active. It looks a bit like a tube and can be worn on the wrist or the neck, like a necklace and can look really very stylish, specially when combined with other jewelry. It costs $99.
Wearables haven't forgotten emotional health. Sentio, a company that points out it's comprised of an "amazing group of passionate people with a diverse set of capabilities" has brought a prototype bracelet to CES that tracks emotions all day. It's called Feel and doesn't look anything special but like a regular fitness band. Sentio believes that tracking emotions closely is the key to identifying our stress triggers and factors that affect mood. That's the first step to managing stress and living happier lives.
And there are many more such wearables coming up.
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
