Health Tech Stole the Show at CES 2022

Since COVID-19 is dominating the narrative worldwide, health tech is one of the main focus points at CES 2022 doesn’t surprise anyone.

Healthcare, always changing, always improving

As one of the most essential and complex industries in modern society, healthcare is continuously changing. Societies all over the world are constantly pouring money into healthcare research, to better understand human health and find adequate ways of preventing and treating illnesses and injuries. As technology improves, advancement towards reaching this goal has gotten more rapid, and the healthcare trends for 2022 prove it. Going forward, new technologies, digital health innovations, and data analytics are expected to be used to improve care quality and the overall patient health. 

For the last two years, COVID-19 was both the villain, but also a catalyst for much of what companies intended to showcase at CES this year. COVID has proven dozens of health care providers were able to leverage virtual care, while also bringing to the market everything from medication monitors to pain sensors to air purification, in an effort to show how manufacturers deal with issues, both pandemic-related and otherwise.

Part online, part face to face, CES 2022 had more than 2,300 exhibiting companies 

CES® 2022 concluded January 7th, following a week filled with thousands of product debuts unveiling innovation that will better the world and solve global challenges. More than 2300 exhibiting companies from around the world, including more than 800 startups, launched products featuring innovation across artificial intelligence, automotive technology, digital health, smart home and more. After nearly two years, CES returned ‘home’ to Las Vegas welcoming well over 45,000 attendees in person, including 1800 global media, across 11 indoor and outdoor venues. The show was truly a global event, with 30% of attendees traveling from outside the US – representing 119 countries.  

“Innovation came to life this week at CES 2022 – with technologies that will reshape industries and provide solutions to pressing worldwide issues from healthcare to agriculture, sustainability and beyond,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, owner and producer of CES. “The CES show floor buzzed with the joy of human interaction and a five-sense innovation experience with products that will redefine our future and change our world for the better.”  

“CES 2022 furthered global business this week, as our industry gathered – many for the first time in two years – to collaborate, forge partnerships, make deals and advance the economy,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES. “After two years of not being able to connect in person, we were thrilled to welcome our industry back together again face-to-face to experience the latest innovation at CES 2022.”  

A major keynote from a healthcare company, a first in 2022 

CES 2022 sported a premiere, and the healthcare tech advancements stole the show.

For the first time ever, a healthcare company delivered a major keynote at CES (previously known as the Consumer Electronics Show), with Abbott Laboratories CEO and Board Chair Robert Ford delivering the closing presentation. While Abbott is delivering a valuable service to the show by providing complimentary rapid COVID tests to all registered CES attendees, the Illinois-based health care giant was only one of the 100 health-focused companies to share the spotlight at the show.

Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall was the place where CES patrons invited companies to showcase a broad cross-section of health care products, accessories, analytical systems, and service providers, presented under the title of Digital Health Marketplace. There were booths for vendors both large and small, exhibitors including even representatives from several health systems, including Ascension, Providence Health and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Big-names tech companies bailed out, but med-tech ones held the fort

While the big-name tech companies that have not come toCES because of the pandemic draw media focus, med-tech companies also deserve attention for still fighting the good fight, since only a handful of these refused to be present on-site. Besides Abbott, major players such as Dassault Systèmes, SleepScore Labs, Keeson Technology, Satisfyer and others have remained in the show, joined by dozens of other, smaller, relative recent emerging enterprises who qualified for  the show’s Eureka Park Marketplace for startups and emerging entities.

“Technology improves our lives in so many ways, and that is especially clear in the health sector,” said Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association president and CEO. “While the pandemic spurred rapid innovation from digital health companies across the globe who continue to find ways to make our lives safer, happier and longer, the overall health care technology revolution continually empowers people to actively engage in their own health. We’re thrilled with health technology’s strong presence at CES 2022 and look forward to its continued growth in the years ahead.”

Really innovative deliverables you will hear more about in 2022

Some of these companies offer really innovative deliverables, many of them being first-to-market within their genres. Among the most notable of them we saw:

The Y-Brush: A patented Y-shaped toothbrush, developed by dentists, which simultaneously brushes all upper and then lower teeth through vigorous vibration in just 10 seconds.

Vivoo: An at-home wellness tracker, powered by advanced image processing and machine-learning algorithms, which analyzes the user’s urine and gives them personalized, easy-to-understand lifestyle and nutrition advice. The product tracks parameters crucial for optimal health: hydration, urine pH level, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, UTIs, and organ wellness, among others.

Cubtale: A new smart way to monitor and manage your baby’s daily care, via a platform using palm-sized smart buttons called Cubs to track breastfeeding sessions, bottle amounts, medicine intakes, sleep durations and more.

Care Wear: Registered with the FDA and approved by the European Union, this wearable therapeutics product deploys light therapy for pain management, treatment of soft tissue injury, wrinkles and acne. When paired with a digital health infrastructure, the product allows clinicians to select treatment parameters and outcome indicators for real-time reports using an app.

Every Dose: Created after the founder saw a loved one struggling with medication management, this digital health company’s AI-powered platform helps patients stay on track with their medications for better outcomes and lower costs. 

Humetrix: This AI-powered technology platform is a powerful Precision Public Health tool that has enabled the identification and local mapping of populations at higher risk for severe COVID-19 and monitoring of the vaccination program.