Is there anything trackers can’t keep tabs on?
Pregnancy. Bad breath. Blood sugar level. Even how much you’ve had to drink...
YOU know that fitness-tracking watch thingy you got for Christmas and haven’t quite worked out how to use? It’s old news already. A new wave of wearable devices will be launched this year aiming to monitor and help manage almost every aspect of our health – and even treat illness – and soon one in five Britons will own one, according to industry analysts.
A range of cutting-edge devices, which focus on everything from digestive health and diabetes management to emotional wellbeing, were unveiled at electronics mega-show CES last week in Las Vegas. I tried out the best (and most bizarre) – and here’s how they could revolutionise your health… PUTTING THE WIND UP THOSE INTOLERANCES
WHAT: Plagued with trapped wind, bloating and other digestive discomfort? The AIRE by FoodMarble could be the answer… offering a breath-test that can flag up problems with digesting certain foods. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Food intolerances are rife, with one in five Britons claiming to suffer from one. Those with more severe problems may go through numerous invasive tests to no avail. The AIRE is a version of a proven hospital-based test used to help patients identify foods that might cause excess gas. The wearer can then adjust their diet accordingly, easing symptoms. HOW IT WORKS: The kit comes with sachets s containing pure forms of naturally occurring sugars. Different types are found in different foods ods such as fructose ctose in fruit, and lactose in dairy. These are mixed with water and consumed. The user breathes into a device containing tiny sensors that measure levels of hydrogen and methane gas. High scores indicate a type of sugar is not being properly digested and should be avoided. ‘People with IBS suffer from an intolerance to certain sugars and reducing foods containing those helps alleviate symptoms,’ said gastroenterologist Dr James Brief. WHEN CAN I GET IT? Pre-order price of £98 including p&p for first devices in August. foodmarble.com
GIVE BAD HAIR DAYS THE BRUSH-OFF
WHAT: The Kerastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings is the world’s first smart brush. It’s a medium-size flat-paddle hairbrush that houses high-tech gadgetry in its bristles to help give users an accurate appraisal of hair health, and brushing technique. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Although they’re not lifethreatening, no one likes a bad hair day. Vogue magazine has already billed it ‘this year’s haircare must-have’, while beauty bible Allure claimed it is ‘game-changing’. HOW IT WORKS: The paddle houses a microphone that connects to an app programmed by science bods at L’Oreal to recognise the sound of damaged, fragile hair as it is brushed, and gives the user a score. Other sensors in the batterypowered device detect moisture levels and brushing motion to give a detailed analysis. ‘We can provide a hair diagnosis without leaving the home, and give advice on how to fix problems,’ s said L’Oreal’s G Guive Balooch. W WHEN CAN I GET IT? Available in the autumn, from £160. withings.com
HAD ONE TO0 MANY?
WHAT:WHA Ever had one drink and w wondered if you’re OK to dri drive? The BACtrack Skyn is a smartwatch that allow allows the user to monitor their blood alcohol level in ‘near real time’, according to the manufacturers, who also make police breathalysers. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? There are strict alcohol limits for drivers, but, as the website gov.uk advises: ‘It’s impossible to say how many drinks this equals – it’s different for each person.’ It can also be different in the same person depending on other factors such as how much food has been eaten. HOW IT WORKS: A sensor in the underside of the watch-face detects minute amounts of ethanol being excreted by the skin. This so-called transdermal alcohol content is then interpreted by software to provide an estimate of blood alcohol level. ‘It shows results in a continuous graph form and advises if you are over the limit,’ said a spokesman. WHEN CAN I GET IT? Awaiting approval from US watchdogs. bactrack.com
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE OF YOUR EYES
WHAT: Another first: an at-home vision-checker. The EyeQue is a tube-shaped telescope-like device that clips to the front of a smartphone. The user is asked to perform a number of tests while looking through the lens at the screen, and the app scores the severity of shortsightedness – which can then be relayed to a optometrist. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Eight per cent of British adults have never had an eye test, while research shows the incidence of vision problems such as short sight are on the rise. This tracker aims to give users an at-home alternative to visiting the optician. HOW IT WORKS: The tube contains a number of lenses. These are adjusted manually by the user as they look through it at two dashes on the screen. He or she taps the screen to make the dashes move and ultimately meet, and the programme calculates the accuracy of the user’s vision. WHEN CAN I GET IT? Available this month, from £25. eyeque.com
BLOOD GLUCOSE CHECKS ...AND NO FINGER PRICKS
WHAT: K Track Glucose from PKvitality is a smartwatch housing sensors that can instantly measure blood sugar levels – an integral part of diabetes management – without the need for painful finger-prick testing. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Diabetes affects three million Britons and occurs when the body either doesn’t produce enough or any insulin, a hormone required to convert sugar (glucose) digested from food into energy in the cells. Without this process, glucose builds up in the blood, causing widespread damage throughout the body. Medication is used to replace insulin, but whether or not this is
effective requires constant selfmonitoring of blood glucose levels. A device that dispensed with this would be a game-changer.
HOW IT WORKS: Tiny microneedles in the underside of the watch graze the skin, allowing sensors to measure and analyse the amount of glucose in fluids in the skin surface. It is painless and allows the user to test as frequently as they wish. It also houses similar tech to a regular fitness band – calories consumed and burned, steps taken and the like.
WHEN CAN I GET IT? Awaiting FDA approval, which the company hopes will mean it’s on the market in 2018, costing £120 plus £80 a month for new microneedles. pkvitality.com
GOOD NEWS FOR BAD BREATH
WHAT: Ever wondered if you have bad breath? The Philips Sonicare Breath Care kit might be the answer. It’s a small breathalyser that measures levels of malodorous volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) emitted by bacteria in the mouth, which you often can’t smell yourself. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Aside from being antisocial, bad breath is a signifier of overall poor oral health. It could point to gum disease and high bacteria levels, indicating poor hygiene and flagging up health concerns such as immune system and digestive problems.
HOW IT WORKS: The breathalyser communicates with a smartphone app and gives results in seconds – a score, indicating if you have bad breath. The same app can synchronise with the Philips Flexcare Platinum Connected electric toothbrush and tongue cleaner, allowing you to track oral health and brushing technique.
WHEN CAN I GET IT? The kit is available in America and will be launched in the UK before the summer. Expected price is £97. usa.philips.com
MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS
WHAT: Feel, billed as the world’s first emotion tracker, is a wristband monitoring vital signs that indicate five key moods: joy, contentment, sadness, tension and distress. DO WE REALLY NEED IT? Psychotherapeutic advice for those suffering a host of mental illnesses is to keep a mood diary. ‘We often don’t know what it is we are doing that makes us stressed or unhappy,’ says Feel’s George Eleftheriou. ‘The first step to changing how we feel is recognising those behaviours, and this helps do that.’
HOW IT WORKS: The band contains sensors that track micro changes in perspiration, body temperature and blood pressure, which indicate heightened emotions. This synchronises with an app that also integrates with the smartphone calendar, social media and even music-playing apps such as Spotify to help users identify exactly what they were doing when they felt a certain way.
WHEN CAN I GET IT? Pre-order for about £170 – first units will ship in the autumn. myfeel.co
THE PERSONAL PREGNANCY COACH
WHAT: Bloomlife, a device that can track the frequency, duration and time between uterine contractions in the last trimester, allowing women ‘to better understand their body as it prepares for labour’. Dubbed ‘a personal pregnancy coach’.
DO WE REALLY NEED IT? From as early as the second trimester of pregnancy, many experience Braxton Hicks contractions which are uncomfortable, and can be alarming (but don’t mean labour is occurring). This tracker would alleviate some of the need for worried A&E visits.
HOW IT WORKS: A smartphonesized patch, housing a sensor, adheres to the abdomen and gives real-time data – read on a phone app – by picking up electrical signals emitted by muscles in and around the womb. The creators plan to use the long-term data collected to help better understand why premature births occur.
WHEN CAN I GET IT? The first units ship in February, and pricing works on a rental basis – £240 for three months. bloomlife.com