Every year the Consumer Electronics Show manages to capture the attention of consumers with the latest and greatest tech gadgets. Many of the ideas that come out of the conference are innovative; others are simply outrageous.
These gadgets transform every day household items into flashy web-connected toys and turn items we never imagined needing a greater use for into “smart” tools. And whether we would really invest our money in these inventions or not, these devices showcase just how pervasive tech has become.
Here is a look at some of the weirder gadgets unveiled at CES 2016:
A Bluetooth connected pregnancy test
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Watch Above: First Response unveils the world’s first “smart” pregnancy test at CES. Nicole Bogart reports.
The beginning of life itself? Now there’s an app for that.
Pregnancy-test maker First Response is introducing a new Bluetooth-enabled stick that still requires nature’s call. But it’ll also distract a would-be mom with in-app videos or quizzes from BuzzFeed while she waits three minutes before she gets her answer.
Pregnancy tests have evolved rapidly from sticks with one or two lines, to digital readouts that say “yes” or “no,” to tests that can detect a likely pregnancy several days before a missed period.
The app is designed to stick around as a resource for expectant mothers; it offers a calendar aid for calculating the likely due date and assistance for reaching out to a doctor and for letting others in on the news via texts and email.
High tech dieting
A breathalyzer for fat-burning? The folks at Seattle-based Levl claim to have come up with just that.
Blow into a small container for about five seconds then put it in a sensor-laden machine, and out pops a report that purports to tell you how much acetone you’re producing. A number around 4 on a 5-point scale suggests you’re burning fat. If you blow below that you might want to cut back on the carbs and get some exercise.
The app is designed to encourage users to manage a long streak of fat-burning by estimating how many calories they’ll burn in fat per day. But there’s one big gotcha: drinking alcohol could throw off the reading and make it seem like you’re burning more fat than you are.
The company aims to sell the product this year but hasn’t determined a price.
A biometric sports bra
Ask any woman what she wants out of her sports bra and she will likely say a good fit; but Canadian startup Omsignal believes there’s more to it than that.
The company has designed a high-tech sports bra, dubbed OMbra, which uses sensors to detect a woman’s heart rate, breathing data and step tracking – the information is then sent straight from her chest to an app on her smartphone.
Gaming for dogs
Ever wonder what your dog does when they’re home alone? Now you can make sure they are entertained (and not getting into trouble) with CleverPet, which is basically a gaming console for dogs. The device, which has three lights and a speaker, challenges dogs to a series of skills tests to keep them engaged throughout the day.
When a pad lights up, the dog must tap it’s paw on the correct pads in order to get a treat. The patterns get more complex the more the dog uses the device.
– With files from The Associated Press
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