These CES gadgets are all set to curb snoring, pee issues and facilitate surgery

Before the start of the consumer electronics festival, there were snore-suppressing pillows, urine-testing toilets, and "digital twins" for safer surgeries on display at a gadget fair in Las Vegas on Tuesday. One of the main themes of the annual CES conference is anticipated to be the emerging trend in remote or home healthcare technology, which is being driven by the pandemic. "We are going to see some really interesting health gadgets that monitor or improve your well-being," Avi Greengart, a technology analyst with Techsponential, said of the show.

Snore-silencing pillow

base in South Korea The company 10Minds demonstrated a pillow with an integrated microphone that detects snoring and activates silent airbags that adjust in size to gently shift a person's head to a posture that facilitates quiet breathing. "When you start snoring, right away it detects it," company representative Daehyun Kim told AFP at the CES Unveiled event. "It even distinguishes your snoring from your dog snoring, or your spouse." The pillow, which syncs with a smartphone app, collects data which is analyzed to identify snoring patterns to hone its response over time, Kim added. "It's (a) very simple solution," Kim said.

Armchair masseuse

Bodyfriend, a South Korean business, is fighting neck and back pain brought on by prolonged screen time. Bodyfriend massage chairs, which are marketed as medical devices, knead muscles, apply heat, and even pulse electromagnetic waves to relieve pain. "Our technology helps solve problems created by technology" since spending time on one's phone and other screens can create back problems, said Bodyfriend North America manager Changjoo Kim.

Digital twin

Abys, a French company, demonstrated technology that allows surgeons to use information from X-rays and other common medical scans to construct "digital twins" of patients. According to firm co-founder Arnaud Destainville, surgeons may then accurately plan an operation, cutting down on the time and risk involved. In operating rooms, surgeons can use Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headsets to access a patient's hologram "twin" and other data as they work, Destainville said. "All the planning, all the information becomes available during the surgery," Destainville said. US regulators approved the Abys innovation last week, according to the co-founder.

Toilet turned lab

Withings, a digital health and wellness firm, displayed a U-Scan device at Unveiled that allows users to examine their urine by urinating normally into a toilet. Changeable cartridges can be stored on a disc that hangs within the toilet bowl. One of the cartridges tracks a woman's menstrual cycle, while the other gauges nutritional health markers like vitamin C and ketone levels. "It helps people monitor their metabolic intake to optimize their daily hydration and nutrients," the French company said in a release. "It recommends workouts, dietary suggestions, and recipes to achieve identified goals." The wireless in-toilet device connects to a smartphone app. According to the company, U-Scan can even differentiate between different users based on "each individual's urine stream signature." Throughout the second quarter of this year, Withings will introduce U-Scan in Europe. A basic package costs 500 euros. Before receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, it won't be marketed in the US.