The Irish Mail on Sunday

Ten gadgets that will transform your health

The bizarre ageing suit that taught me what it REALLY feels like to be old... plus ten other gadgets that could transform your health in 2016 (and no, they’re not just for geeks)

- By BARNEY CALMAN

Let’s make one thing clear: I am no geek. I do not want a Bluetooth-enabled smartfridg­e that can wirelessly communicat­e my heart rate to my hoverboard. But if that’s what you are after, someone, somewhere at CES – the annual trade show of gadgets and gizmos – is probably trying to flog a prototype.

Here in Las Vegas, 20,000 tech developmen­ts have been unveiled. The show was visited last year by 170,000 people, and more are expected this year.

And among the ever-thinner flatscreen TVs, drones and intelligen­t toasters, they will see some game-changing developmen­ts that could transform how we live.

The real boom sector is health technology to keep us fit, well and informed, and to help us manage and even treat illness.

Many of us already own ‘wearable’ technology such as smartwatch­es and fitness trackers measuring everything from heart rate to sleep quality.

At CES, the next generation of wearables is being showcased, from jewellery to clothing that can track every aspect of our behaviour, from vital signs to emotions.

But technology moves fast – so could the era of the wearables already be over? Insiders says the industry is increasing­ly wary of ‘hype without value’.

John Feland, CEO of tech consultant­s Argus Insights, is dubious about the appeal of wearables. ‘People get tired of [them] . They stop being useful, people lose their momentum – all similar reasons as to why people quit going to the gym.’

I battled through the acres of expensive tat to sift out the gadgets that genuinely could make our lives better…

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 ??  ?? EYE-OPENER: Barney Calman wearing the ‘augmented reality’ suit
EYE-OPENER: Barney Calman wearing the ‘augmented reality’ suit

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