Today’s health technology is not just about the latest wearables and sensors to keep track of all of your vitals. Advancements are being made in all areas of healthcare to help improve the quality of life of patients as they treat, recover from, or learn to live with various diseases, disorders, and injuries. And in no place was that better on display than this year’s CES and Digital Health Summit. Here are just a few of the health gadgets that generated the most buzz from the dedicated health summit as well as from the general showroom floor.
Phonak: A Custom Way to Hear
Wearing a hearing aid can carry a stigma, so Phonak designed its latest hearing aid, the Virto Black, to be just as stylish as the most popular consumer earbuds. But they don’t just look good. The Virto Black are the first custom-made hearing aids with the benefits of Marvel technology, including universal Bluetooth streaming, hands-free phone calls, and a personalized hearing experience. Each pair is 3D printed for each individual with 1,600 unique data points from a person’s ear impressions analyzed to optimize sound direction and ensure an exact fit and comfort for all-day wear.
MedEXO Robotics: An Easier Walk with Parkinson’s Disease
In addition to causing tremors and slowing and stiffening limb movements, Parkinson’s Disease can also halt a patient’s walking gait. To help make walking a little easier for those with the disease and other movement disorders, MedEXO Robotics developed the ExoBeam. This device connects to a patient’s belt, pants, or cane and projects a laser on the ground to help guide and train movement. Additionally, it also vibrates at different preset rhythms and offers audio cues through beeps to help patients maintain a normal walking pace and to reduce the likelihood of the freezing phenomenon patients experience, which is often caused by distracted surroundings.
BrainCo: Prosthetic Controlled with Your Mind
The BrainCo Dexus is a prosthetic hand that requires no surgery or implants, but can still read and understand the user’s intent through six advanced sensors that connect at the residual limb and sense the electronic instructions from the brain. And while some similar prosthetics only offer limited, pre-programmed gestures, the Dexus offers full, natural dexterity with finely controlled movements and can be trained to perform an unlimited number of gestures. Which pretty much means, if the user can imagine it, then the hand can do it.
Lexilife: Reading Lamp for Dyslexics
People with Dyslexia struggle to read because they have two dominant eyes, as opposed to non-dyslexics who have one, which causes their brain to simultaneously receive two different pieces of information at the same time creating a mirror image. But Lexilife’s Lexilight is a lamp that combines both pulsed and modulated light to erase the mirror effect that a dyslexic person sees and makes it easier for them to read faster, longer, and without any eye strain. The lamp’s light wave can also be adjusted to ensure it will properly adapt to each individual, or can be turned on to classic light mode so that anyone can use it.
Neofect: Dance, Dance Stroke Rehabilitation
Yes, the Neofect Smart Balance resembles the “Dance Dance Revolution” board you may have seen at your local arcade or had the joy to try yourself. And it was designed to bring a similar joy to stroke patients as they undergo rehabilitation by making it a bit more fun. Designed for lower-body rehabilitation, the Neofect Smart Balance uses augmented reality and features 16 different games to help patients walk unassisted by emphasizing core strength, restabilization, and balance. Game parameters can be adjusted for each patient based on where they are in their rehab and their accomplishments in the game.
