Health and fitness tech at CES 2024

Health and fitness tech is always prominent at CES. For CES 2024, health and fitness gear was on display at the pre-show press events as well as on the show floor, mainly in the North hall and Venetian Expo venues. You can learn about the variety of tech available to benefit your health from our Health and wellness buying guide. To see what’s new this year in that category read about some highlights from this year’s CES.

Garmin smartwatches and other devices

Among the new products Garmin introduced at CES, which received CES Innovations Honoree awards, is the Epix Pro GPS smartwatch for athletes. It features a bright AMOLED, rugged design, dozens of built-in sports app, health and wellness tools, and premium mapping features. Most impressive is the up to 31 days battery life in smartwatch mode with the 51mm watch.

For golfers, there’s the MARQ Golfer – Carbon Edition, a luxurious watch that they’ll want to show off on the golf course. It is machined from 130 layers of Fused Carbon Fiber that makes it both light and strong. It, too, has an AMOLED touchscreen and boasts a 16-day battery life in smartwatch mode. There are more than 43,000 pre-loaded golf courses and advanced game-tracking data.

The Venu functions like an on-wrist coach with personalized wellness insights, fitness features, and more. It has color AMOLED displays, more than 30 built-in sports apps, and up to 14 days of battery life. This model adds a built-in speaker and microphone for making and taking phone calls and responding to text messages, right from your wrist.

Designed specifically for women is the new Garmin HRM-Fit, a heart rate monitor made to attach to the bottom of medium and high-support sports bras. This makes it both comfortable to wear and fit seamlessly under your clothing. As with any other chest-based heart rate monitor, it accurately captures real-time heart rate and training data.

Wheely-X

Accessibility tech is big part of CES 2024, and the Wheely-X is one of the more interesting innovations. It’s a wheelchair treadmill that helps wheelchair users use the chair while partaking in interactive games. The idea is to help foster physical fitness and cognitive health and, of course, allow those in a wheelchair to participate in activities they might not otherwise have been able to participate in. You can enjoy personalized workouts to enhance endurance, strength, and flexibility while stimulating games to boost memory, focus, and problem-solving abilities. The Wheely-X is compact so it’s easy to bring along with you as well.

Naqi Neural Earbuds

These earbuds purport to allow you to control computers, digital devices, smart home devices, robots, even wheelchairs, with nothing more than your brain waves. Dubbed a safer alternative to brain implants, they are geared towards the disabled, elderly, gamers, e-sports professionals, and first responders. The idea is that you can communicate instructions and commands without having to use voice, touch, screens, or cameras. Naqi calls them the “next generation of human-machine interfaces” as a silent and invisible input method of the future.

Swann ActiveResponse Personal Safety Alarm

There are alarms for your home, office, expensive electronic devices. What about yourself? The Swann ActiveResponse Personal Alarm is a discreet mobile safety device you can use to alert predefined people that something is amiss. If you feel like you’re in a danger, pull the pin and a loud 100 decibel siren will play. You can also (or instead) push a button to alert up to five nominated contacts and/or emergency series that something is wrong. The unit also sends your GPS location via Bluetooth from your phone.

Pop it into your pocket or bag, carry it in your hand if you’re walking alone at night, for example, or even wear it as a necklace or keep it attached to a keyring. It has long battery life and is ideal for walks, runs, hiking, travel, or any time you feel potentially unsafe.

Of course these days, the latest premium smartwatches have similar safety features. But a secondary device designed specifically for this purpose is a welcome option.

ClearCast Neckband Assistive Listening Device

The hearables category has been growing over the years with many products designed to help those who are hard of hearing. They usually come in earbud form, a more modern-looking form of a hearing aid. The ClearCast is a bit different. While it does have buds, the Category 2 FDA-registered personal assistive listening device also consists of a piece that is worn around the neck. Once worn, you can adjust the volume and hear conversations through the neckband’s microphone. It’s designed to separate voices and dialogue from background noise and transmit the sound directly to the wearer’s ears. Because of its ability to improve signal-to-noise ratio, the company says wearers can hear better in environments like during dinner-table conversations, while watching TV, and even lectures and sermons. 

For those with more severe hearing loss, a separate wireless mic can be placed near the source of the sound to route the conversation directly to the earbuds. ClearCast was developed by Otolaryngologist Dr. Sreek Cherukuri for those with early-stage hearing loss, homebound seniors, and others who are reluctant to use hearing aids or have difficulty handling them. 

Moonbird Breathing Tool

Since COVID-19, it seems tech devices designed to help you de-stress and reduce anxiety have become more and more commonplace. Moonbird takes the concept of breathing exercises to another level. It not only aids you in doing them, but also serves as a guide to help coach you along. As you breathe along with the unit, you can also follow along with your real-time heart rate and body relaxation from the connected app. Founder by a brother and sister duo in 2019 – Stefanie Broes has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Michael Broes is an economist – the easy-to-understand handheld breathing device aims to help people manage their stress more efficiently. Moonbird retails in the U.S. for US$199; there’s no word yet on Canadian availability.

BREGGZ Luxury Hearable

Luxury technology company BREGGZ has revealed a wireless, custom-made in-ear computer, a made-to-measure luxury hearable that is designed to give each individual user a tailored listening experience. Scan your ear and BREGGZ will produce a customize replica using hand-made molds. Ear scans are turned into 3D print files and printed on medical-grade ceramic or plastic shells and faceplates. Each bud has four high-end balanced armature drivers and pinna produced by Knowles, which the company says provides a “concert-like experience.”

BREGGZ uses a patented “one-box” technology in which all the hardware and firmware are processed in a mini cartridge, which can be easily replaced in the event the wearer wants to upgrade to a newer version or there is a battery charge decrease over time. The faceplate is removeable and interchangeable, and the company plans to offer faceplate collections in collaboration with other luxury brands, artists and athletes for further personalizing of the look. Ensuring longevity, the patented cartridge that houses BREGGZ technology is smaller in diameter than the tip of an adult’s pinky finger, is universally assembly-line produced, and easily changed to access new and updated features.

Co-created by Dutch vocalist Xander de Buisonje, the idea was the replicate the same wired in-ear monitor experience has been using for years while singing. Working with both USB-C and induction charging, they offer up to 40 hours of charge and can be recharged up to five times in the charger before it needs more juice. BREGGZ, which are also IPX4 water and sweat resistant, will be available worldwide, starting initially in Europe, the U.S., the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, and an expected ship date is Q3 2024. It will ship with both a leather carrying case and cleaning set.

GyroGlove Mechanical Gyroscope Medical Device

The GyroGlove is an innovative product that purports to help those with Parkinson’s disease deal with the uncontrollable tremors. Following six years of development and trials, the mechanical gyroscope medical device uses gyroscopic stabilization technology and satellite-grade mechanical gyroscopes to counteract hand tremors. The gyroscope is adjustable and comes enclosed in a lightweight casing. It affixes to the back of the hand via a harness attached to the glove’s material. Once turned on, the battery-powered gyroscope begins spinning, pushing back against the wearer’s movements to try and right itself. By instantly and proportionally resisting hand movements, the device dampens tremors. Typically, the tremors associated with Parkinson’s can be so pronounced that it’s difficult for the patient to do everyday tasks like eating and drinking. The GyroGlove is a perfect example of how technology can work towards solving important issues in health and wellness and improving quality of life.

NuraLogix Anura MagicMirror

Smart scales assess your body weight, muscle and fat mass. Wearables can measure everything from blood oxygen to heart rate and stress levels. What does a smart mirror measure? The Anura MagicMirror uses AI and optical technology to assess facial blood flow patterns, which can in turn, according to the company, calculate vital signs like blood pressure and disease risk assessments like Type 2 diabetes. All it takes is a 30-second pose in front of the mirror for it to capture your visage. The mirror, which measures 21.5 inches, is powered by Anura’s Affective AI platform DeepAffex and uses Transdermal Optical Imaging (TOI) technology, a form of Remote Photoplethysmography (rPPG). It’s an interesting way to get a quick snapshot of your health and wellness stats. NuraLogix is a Canadian company, too, based in Toronto.

Evie Smart Ring

The Evie Smart Ring was announced prior to CES, back in December 2023. But the female-focused smart ring has some updates that weren’t previously confirmed. First, what it is? The Evie Smart Ring is a smart wearable designed specifically for women, focuses on data that’s important and relevant to women along with AI-based trend analysis. Right from the design, which features a slight flex and small gap in the surface to account for daily fluctuations in finger size due to hormonal changes, this ring screams “I am woman.” The ring uses sensitive medical-grade sensors to measure vital signs through a woman’s finger, which tends to be smaller and have less blood flow. See a Daily Summary that takes into account all activities and recovery, progress towards daily set goals, and credits for achieving things like getting enough sleep. The custom AI engine takes hormonal changes into effect when looking for correlations among things like menstrual health, mood, energy, sleep, and activity. You might be notified that your mood improves when you get more steps in a day, for example, or that your sleep is usually interrupted at this point in your menstrual cycle because of progesterone dips.

Other features include Spot Check to see your pulse rate and blood oxygen levels, and mood and menstrual symptom logging. What’s new? Early this year, Movano will be adding enhanced menstrual health insights and additional visualizations that will help provide more accurate links between your cycle, mood, energy, sleep, and activity. There will also be a My Health Report feature for sharing key data with a healthcare provider; and automatic activity detection for certain activities, like running, walking, and biking.

It can last for up to four days per charge and comes with a charging case that can recharge it 10 times per charge. Evie Ring is US$269 and comes in gold, rose gold, and silver and sizes from 5-12 (use the sizing kit that’s included if you aren’t sure). Right now, it only works with iPhones but support for Android devices will be added starting in Q2 2024.

Amazfit Helio Smart Ring

Another smart ring coming to market hails from Zepp Health, the company that makes Amazfit smartwatches and fitness trackers. The brand offers affordable and reliable alternatives, and the smart ring is an interesting new direction. The idea is for the smart ring to function as more than just a daily stats tracker for things like stress and sleep, but to offer training assistance for more serious athletes. It monitors data throughout the day and will tell you when you should slow down or amp it up through a readiness score.

The company says it helps with monitoring, analysis, guidance, and recovery support so you can get the most out of your activities and workouts. It’s something you can wear on your own or alongside an Amazfit smartwatch to get data from both devices together in the Zepp Health app. It will be available in early Spring 2024, pricing TBA.

Sennheiser Momentum Sport

Sennheiser is known for its audio prowess with a diverse line of headphones and earbuds to suit discerning listeners, as well as those with hearing limitations. The Momentum Sport true wireless earbuds are an interesting new addition to the mix that’s geared specifically towards active individuals looking to focus on their health and wellness. It has a photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor built right into the buds along with a body temperature sensor that can each output critical data to popular fitness apps and devices. The heart rate data connects and integrates with many popular sport devices and apps, including Apple Watch/Health, Garmin Watch/Connect, Strava, and Peloton. It’s also the first non-Polar product to work with Polar’s biosensing capabilities and data analytics, including body temperature, to offer real-time insights during training along with deeper analysis through the Polar Flow app.

The semi-open design affords a level of situational awareness while there’s also an acoustic relief channel, adjustable transparency mode, anti-wind mode, and adaptive noise cancelling mode. The buds are IP55 sweat and water resistant, come in a shock-proof chassis, and feature clog-resistant ear tips.

The included charging case is itself IP54 rated and compatible with Qi charging as well as USB-C. With the case, you get a total of 24 hours playback six hours per charge, with the option to quick charge for up to 45 minutes extra after a 10-minute charge. These buds come in slick colour options, too, including Polar Black, Burned Olive, or my favourite, Metallic Graphite.

It looks like we have lots of new health tech to look forward to this year. Keep reading the Best Buy blog and visiting Best Buy Canada’s website and you’ll be informed about all of the latest tech to arrive in Canada.