If you paid enough attention, you could find health trackers everywhere at the CES trade show last week. But they didn’t necessarily look how you’d expect.
Much of the same technology used in wristbands, smartwatches and rings has been adapted for a wide — and sometimes eccentric — range of products, including toothbrushes, bathroom scales and even a mouth guard. Many of these devices are making ever more audacious claims, promising insights into cardiovascular health and even long-term disease risk, even as they face regulatory scrutiny from officials who believe some newer gadgets are functioning as medical devices.
One product at the show, NuraLogix’s Longevity Mirror, performed a 30-second wellness check using computer vision and artificial intelligence trained on hundreds of thousands of patient records. In a live demo, the mirror scanned a reporter’s face, analyzing subtle blood-flow patterns captured through a standard selfie video before estimating long-term health risks up to 20 years into the future.
The goal, the company said, is to help users understand not only how they’re doing today, but where their health may be headed. NuraLogix is also developing an AI assistant designed to offer personalized guidance, from recommending ways of reducing alcohol consumption to helping improve their sleep habits, and to flag when a medical visit may be necessary.
Elsewhere at the conference, French toothbrush maker Y-Brush unveiled a model scheduled for release in 2027 that promises a full cleaning in 20 seconds and claims the ability to detect as many as 300 health conditions, including early-stage diabetes, digestive disorders and liver disease. The brush, called the Halo, features a tray that fits over the teeth, and uses AI and gas sensors to analyze a user’s breath and screen for health risks. That’s a bold claim, especially given it doesn’t require a drop of blood. Pricing has not yet been disclosed.
Darya Didier, who works on the company’s marketing team, said the device is intended to act as another way for people to monitor their health without wearing a ring or smartwatch. She said the company is also developing a separate saliva-based project aimed at detecting additional health risks.
Saliva is also central to the pitch from startup BruxMed, which debuted its $499 VibeBrux smart night guard at the show. The device resembles a traditional mouth guard but includes a removable sensor that slides into the center. It tracks jaw clenching and teeth grinding while also monitoring heart rate and blood oxygen levels as the user sleeps. When grinding is detected, the guard emits a vibration that interrupts the behavior in real time. Users can review the data in a companion app and share it with a healthcare provider.
“It’s a lot more accurate than a ring or a watch because it has access to saliva,” co-founder Kenny Broukhim told Bloomberg. “Saliva is more sensitive.”
While the consumer tech industry has moved quickly to add more health-monitoring features to smartwatches and other wellness gadgets, these new features have been subject to regulatory scrutiny. Withings, the French brand known for Wi-Fi bathroom scales, announced a model in early 2022 that didn’t become available in the US until late 2023 because the company was waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to clear a tool for detecting atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat.
And Whoop Inc., which makes screenless fitness trackers, refused last year to pull its blood pressure insights tool following a warning from the FDA, which said the startup’s highest-end wearable was operating as a medical device without the proper authorization.
Even so, blood-pressure monitoring will make its way into even more devices in 2026. Withings introduced a new $600 model designed to flag early signs of hypertension. Beyond alerts for elevated blood-pressure risk, the scale also estimates how efficiently the heart is pumping.
Some companies are also working toward one of the industry’s most elusive goals: non-invasive glucose monitoring. Whoop Chief Executive Will Ahmed previously told Bloomberg that solving this challenge — which typically requires blood samples — is among his top priorities. Withings, meanwhile, announced a partnership with Abbott Laboratories, which makes glucose monitors, that will allow users to view glucose data directly within the Withings app.
Smart ring company Oura Health Oy, which launched its first portable charging case at CES on Wednesday, told Bloomberg the company has been deliberately moving slowly as it explores more medical-grade insights.
“In consumer electronics, if something sort of doesn’t work, that’s OK,” CEO Tom Hale said in an interview at the show. “That’s not OK in healthcare.”
The company is currently part of a large-scale study comparing data from the Oura ring with readings from a traditional blood-pressure cuff.
“What we’re trying to do is demonstrate the validity and accuracy of it,” he said, “so when we go and say we can measure your blood pressure or tell you about your blood pressure trend or tell you you should probably get a diagnosis for hypertension, that we’re right. And why is Oura successful? Because we’re right. Not that we’re sort of right or right sometimes.”
Kelly writes for Bloomberg.
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