/ The Highlights of CES 2023

CES is a showcase for the latest and greatest in tech, and it's always a hotbed of innovation. This year's CES was no different, with a huge range of new products on display. Here are some of the highlights:

The Sorting Hat

The iSyncWave rests on top of your head, analyses you quickly, and then reads its findings, very similar to the Sorting Hat from the “Harry Potter” series. The only difference is that this product is pure science!

The headset, created by iMediSync, employs artificial intelligence to perform an electroencephalogram (EEG) and predict potential risks of cognitive problems, such as Alzheimer's disease, within 10 minutes.

The South Korean business thinks their headset might significantly cut both the time and cost associated with doing such diagnostic testing. It is also possible that specific treatments for neurodegenerative disorders will be administered through the gadget one day.

Food to your Liking

OneThird, a start-up company that works to reduce food waste, introduced an infrared device that "scans" avocados, the maturity of which appears to depend on chance.

A simple scanning of an avocado is all that is required to determine whether it is "not yet ripe," "ripe," or "overripe," with the result being shown as a color-coded answer on a mobile app. The gadget is also advertised as a way to stop grocery consumers from repeatedly squeezing avocados, which can hasten their deterioration.

The company takes its name from the fact that one-third of global food products go to waste.

Codingless Communication with Technology

Numerous firms are making it simpler, especially for those who don't know how to code, to communicate with technology as computers become more complex every day.

Nadia Giuliani stands behind a small robot at the Tactigon booth, takes two connected joysticks, and claps her hands while saying, "clap."

The gadget immediately mimics her clapping. She can instruct the robot in dance moves with it as well, much like in the movie real steel.

"We are now using voice commands and gestures because we need to have a more natural interface with the digital world," claims Massimiliano Bellino, CEO of Tactigon's parent firm Next Industries.

"We need to humanize interaction with the digital world," he continues.

The artificial intelligence-based software package from the Italian business is specifically made for factories so that workers can train robots to do jobs rather than manually program them.

Tactigon claims that its algorithms will increase productivity by 30%.

Smart punching bag

The I-Perskin is a wireless sack that can be placed over any punching bag. It has flexible electronic sensors and light-up targets that may be used to guide workouts and assess the user's strength and accuracy.

A mobile app aids in scheduling workouts and reviewing results. I-Percut, the French business that created the cover, wants to market it to gyms first.

Withings U-Scan

While wrist-based fitness trackers are useful, they cannot tell you whether you are getting enough water or veggies in your diet. The U-Scan from Withings can. The basic biomarkers in your urine are measured by this tiny, unobtrusive pebble that sits inside your toilet and uses a variety of interchangeable cartridges. Every cartridge has a different marker that it measures, and each one needs its own paid subscription to be used.

The U-Scan will initially come with two different types of cartridges: one that tracks hormone levels to follow a woman's monthly cycle, and the other that tracks general wellness indicators like pH and ketone levels.

Later this year, the device will be available for purchase in Europe for £500 (about $594), plus those recurring fees. Of course, the U-Scan operates under the premise that you urinate primarily at home, unlike a wrist-based activity tracker. But in today's world, that seems like a fairly secure bet.

JLab’s $99 Hearing Aids

We've been expecting a surge of gadgets to join the market at far more manageable rates than the thousands of dollars they typically cost ever since the US Food and Drug Administration permitted over-the-counter sales of hearing aids last year.

The Sony C10 Self-Fitting OTC Hearing Aids, which we recently reviewed and adored, are still available for purchase for $1,000. JLab plans to lower prices even more by offering a pair that is 10 times less expensive. While it's still wise to exercise caution when purchasing a hearing aid, the $100 JLab OTC Hearing Aid is anticipated to be available between July and September of this year. Considering how highly we typically rate JLab's audio products, it's worth celebrating the release of such an affordable device.

This model has a modest design that falls in the middle of an earbud and an assistance device, and it is compatible with both Android and iPhone. A model with more configurable sound will also be available, but it will cost significantly more; the pricing of that model is not yet known.