The CES of Health (Wednesday)

Qardio, Withings, CSR, iOptik, ‘Robotics on the Runway’, 3D printing and…Mother

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Qardioarm.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Qardio is making its official debut with the QardioArm blood pressure cuff and the QardioCore chest strap for monitoring EKG (plus heart rate, heart rate variability, physical activity intensity and skin temperature). Both were previewed by this Editor at CEWeek 2013 in June and do not yet have FDA nor CE approvals. A price for QardioCore was revealed in Business Insider–$449. QardioArm is listed at $75 on Indiegogo where $29,500 of their $100,000 goal was raised in the past three days. Video. Also MedCityNews.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Withings-aura.jpg” thumb_width=”130″ /]Withings’ Z-Z-Z-Z market entry, the Aura, gets a fave rave at length from Dan Munro in Forbes, adding that the price will be $299. Its stationary aspect, nothing to wear and pricing makes it ideal for high-end QSers who don’t travel a lot or have multiple homes. 

 

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/csr-wearable-call-620×398.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]On the wearables front, the UK’s CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio) premiered its CSR1012 Bluetooth Smart platform with two nice executions in Cellini-designed jewelry, one of which is pictured; also in ZDNet, their developer startup kit is a modest $99.…ZDNet also has a view at variance with ‘The Problem With Wearables’, likening many, including Google Glass, to those obnoxious Bluetooth earleeches earpieces in evoking a negative reaction–but also the real fear that your $1,500 Glasses may be snatched off your face. (Carry permit, anyone?) More discreet might be Innovega’s iOptik ‘augmented reality’ contact lens prototype, which still needs a set of (more ordinary looking) glasses to work, but allows the user to focus on images both in front of their eyes and in the distance simultaneously, as well as side images according to the pictures in Gizmag.

Kicking off the Digital Health Summit at CES Tuesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel pool (presumably covered) was Robotics on the Runway featuring 11 robots, of which Ekso Bionics (exoskeltons) and Origami Robotics’ Romibo (a social/therapy robot for autistic children) are closest to health tech. However Barobo’s Linkbots educational robots could also be used for health education as well as STEM. Produced by DHS, Living in Digital Times and Silicon Valley Robots. Robohub, MedCityNews

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/cubify_3d_printers.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]If you don’t want to wait for robotics to gain traction, widespread 3D printing is a lot closer on the event horizon with announcements rivaling those of tablets, for both the home and professional market. 3D Systems, the ‘grizzled pioneer’ of the field, broke the under-$1,000 barrier with the Cube 3 home printer, on sale in 2nd Quarter. They are also taking a fashionista fling with appointing entertainer will.i.am as Chief Creative Officer, who will now have all the printers he wants to create Black Eyed Peas. MakerBot also announceds the Replicator Mini for the home market at $1,375.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mother.png” thumb_width=”140″ /]All this may make you want to run home to Mother–perhaps not your real mother, but the one from Sen.se. It’s an ‘Internet of Things’ system which monitors the home and the people in it for a multiplicity of everyday activities: walking or jogging distances, who’s at home, how often home objects are being used, temperature readings throughout the home, intrusion alerts and (inevitably) your Z-Z-Z-Zs. For $222 you get the mini-bowling pin like main unit and four tab-like ‘cookies.’ Available February. (On Thursday, it received one of ZDNet’s CES ‘Worst Gadgets Born to Fail’ awards for its Velocity of Nag.)

Previously in TTA: The CES of Health (Monday)