As one of the largest technology events in the world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) always has a plethora of cutting-edge tech products on display.
In the digital health portion of CES 2024, the prevailing theme of the featured tech was bringing healthcare into the home. From at-home vitals trackers to urine tests, health tech startups focused on making healthcare more accessible and giving patients more power over their care.
Healthcare Brew scoured the conference floor in search of the coolest, most useful health tech on display. Here are some standouts:
An at-home vitals tracker from Withings
French consumer electronics company Withings created a device called BeamO, which lets patients take their vitals at home and send the data to their doctors. The device, which is smaller than a smartphone, can measure temperature and blood oxygen levels, as well as listen to the lungs and measure heart rate. After receiving FDA clearance, which Withings expects to happen this year, the company plans to sell the BeamO device directly to consumers for $249.95.
A blood test that checks for traumatic brain injury
Medical device manufacturer Abbott showed off a blood test that can check patients for signs of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The test, which is the first of its kind and takes 15 minutes, is used with Abbott’s handheld i-STAT Alinity device that interprets the results, measures blood biomarkers commonly associated with brain injury. The test is designed to help clinicians determine if a CT scan is necessary for patients with a suspected mild TBI. Avoiding a CT scan could save patients and health plans money; the average price of a scan ranges from $300 to $6,750, according to data from GoodRx.
An at-home urine test
San Francisco-based startup Vivoo created an at-home urine test that checks for nine biomarkers, including magnesium, calcium, and vitamin C levels. Users urinate on a test strip, take a picture of the strip, and upload it to an accompanying app. The app then gives users advice based on their results. For example, if a user’s results show they have acidic urine, the app may tell them to eat alkalizing foods like blackberries to balance their urine pH. The startup also created an at-home urine test that checks for a urinary tract infection. The test strips are sold through retailers including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Pain-relieving patches
Startup CareWear displayed its wearable light therapy patches, which use red and blue lights to relieve pain. Patients put the patches on their pain areas for 30-minute treatment sessions. The patches connect to a phone app that physicians can monitor to log patient use and results. CareWear sells the patches directly to consumers, and markets them to sports teams. Doctors offices can also buy the patches in bulk and resell them.
Virtual twins
French software corporation Dassault Systèmes presented its “virtual twin” technology, which is essentially a digital copy of a human. So far, Dassault has created a virtual heart, is working on a virtual brain, and eventually hopes to create a twin of the whole human body. Dassault scientists train digital twins to respond the same way a human would, and the idea is that pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers would be able to test products on virtual twins before moving on to human trials, which could save time and money.