By Paula Rothman
For BU News Service
LAS VEGAS — You’ve probably never thought of it, but the sound of your hair being brushed might reveal important information about its health. That is why Withings, a digital health company that is part of the Nokia group, recently developed a hairbrush loaded with a microphone and sensors that promises to tell you exactly what you are doing wrong when you brush your hair.
The world’s first smart hairbrush was one of the many curious products presented to the media at Tuesday evening’s CES Unveiled. By the look of what was showcased, this year will be all about smart objects that will make users’ lives easier — or, at least, more filled with data.
The hairbrush, for example, is connected to an app that promises to track your habits and metrics such as tangling, damage or breaking. It will also recommend products. The brush should be available later this year at a promised cost of “under $200.”
Still in the brushing department, Kolibree presented its smart toothbrush that tracks your toothbrushing patterns and delivers a report to an app on how well you brushed your teeth throughout the week. It uses sensors, such as an accelerometer and a gyroscope, to measure what parts of your mouth were not properly cleaned. The suggested retail price is $129.
Kolibree’s smart toothbrush sends information to your phone and has enough battery power to last for two weeks. Photo courtesy of Kolibree.
A mattress and bed frame combination that reacts to your sleeping patterns was also on display. Created by Sleep Number, it can heat, incline or adjust itself according to your preferences or needs. A snore, for example, triggers the head of the mattress to incline, helping the user breathe better. You can also program the bed to begin heating your feet at a certain time of night. Features can be applied to the either side of the bed, meaning couples can have individual settings. The smart bed should be available for consumers later this year and the price will vary from $1,200 to $3,000, depending on the model.
The smart bed can be controlled by an app. Photo by Paula Rothman/BU News Service.
Another curious product that attracted attention was the smart mirror. At least two companies displayed smart mirrors. HiMirror presented a version that used cameras to assess one’s skin and the least costly model is $189. French company Miliboo’s Ekko mirror doubles as a screen that can display the weather forecast, YouTube videos, the news, and traffic information. Everything can be controlled by gestures, but it isn’t cheap. Ekko’s final retail price is expected to be $399.
Lilian Ting checks out the Miliboo Connected Mirror which can display anything from the weather to your daily horoscope at CES Unveiled in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 3, 2016. Photo by Alexandra Wimley/BU News Service
