- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
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- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli strike kills top commanders
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- One dead, 7 missing as heavy rains trigger floods in central Japan
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- The BYD Seal Hybrid U DM-i AWD in a practical test by journalists
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
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- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
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- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
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- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
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- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
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- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
CES gadgets take aim at snoring, pee and even surgery
Pillows that stifle snores, urine-testing toilets, and "digital twins" for safer surgeries were all on display at a CES gadget fest in Las Vegas Tuesday, ahead of the opening of the consumer electronics extravaganza.
Fueled by the pandemic, a rising trend in remote or home healthcare innovations is expected to be one of the major themes at the annual CES gathering.
"We are going to see some really interesting health gadgets that monitor or improve your well-being," Avi Greengart, a technology analyst with Techsponential, said of the show.
- Snore-silencing pillow -
South Korea-based 10Minds showed off a pillow with a built-in microphone that detects snoring, then triggers soundless airbags that change size to gently turn a sleeper's head to a position that makes it easy to breathe quietly.
"When you start snoring, right away it detects it," company representative Daehyun Kim told AFP at the CES Unveiled event.
"It even distinguishes your snoring from your dog snoring, or your spouse."
The pillow, which syncs with a smartphone app, collects data which is analyzed to identify snoring patterns to hone its response over time, Kim added.
"It's (a) very simple solution," Kim said.
- Toilet turned lab -
Digital health and wellness company Withings was at Unveiled with a U-Scan device that lets people analyze their urine by peeing as they normally might into a toilet.
A disk that hangs inside a toilet bowl can house changeable cartridges, one of which monitors a woman's menstruation cycle and another of which measures nutritional health indicators such as vitamin C and ketone levels.
"It helps people monitor their metabolic intake to optimize their daily hydration and nutrients," the French company said in a release.
"It recommends workouts, dietary suggestions, and recipes to achieve identified goals."
The in-toilet device syncs wirelessly to a smartphone app.
U-Scan can even distinguish between various users based on "an individual's urine stream signature," according to the company.
Withings will debut U-Scan in Europe in the second quarter of this year, at a price of 500 euros for a starter kit.
It will not be available in the United States until getting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
- Digital twin -
France-based Abys displayed technology that enables surgeons to create "digital twins" of patients using data from X-rays and other standard medical scans.
Surgeons can then precisely plan an operation, reducing the time it takes and the risk involved, company co-founder Arnaud Destainville told AFP.
In operating rooms, surgeons can use Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headsets to access a patient's hologram "twin" and other data as they work, Destainville said.
"All the planning, all the information becomes available during the surgery," Destainville said.
US regulators approved the Abys innovation last week, according to the co-founder.
- Armchair masseuse -
South Korean company Bodyfriend is taking aim at neck and back aches caused by sitting hunched over screens.
A Bodyfriend massage chair billed as a medical device kneads muscles, applies heat and even pulses electromagnetic waves that are supposed to ease aches and pains.
"Our technology helps solve problems created by technology" since spending time on one's phone and other screens can create back problems, said Bodyfriend North America manager Changjoo Kim.
A.Jones--AMWN