CES 2018: Five More New Technologies For Older Adults

Tech with applicability in the older adult market.   The Digital Health event is also covered in detail through MobiliHealth news and more than a few of those announcements, not even counting the plethora of tech that addresses diabetes and brain health, could benefit older adults.  And more expert and more detailed (and analytical writing) about new tech at CES reveals a few more offerings that could be useful for older adults if applied to that market.  Here are five – more when there’s more:

• Invoxia portable Alexa speaker. "Here’s an example of filling a hole in Amazon’s own product line. It is just a battery powered speaker with embedded Alexa. Triby features voice control with Amazon Alexa and is a smart portable speaker, Internet radio, hands-free speakerphone, and connected message board all rolled into one! Use the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, get the news, set alarms, control smart home devices, and more using just your voice. Just say the wake word "Alexa" and Triby responds instantly." Learn more at CNET.

• Lenovo Smart Display. "The Lenovo Smart Device, intended to compete with the Echo Show, the interface design is different to that of a phone, however. Everything is larger, bolder, pared down without the ultra-detail that you'll find from Google Assistant on a phone. This is to keep things simple, to typically keep your hands off the device - although the touchscreen is perfectly usable - and help focus, including playing music, making calls, recognizing different voices."  Learn more at Pocket-Lint.

• MobileHelp and Samsung GearWatch.  "MobileHelp, a maker of home and wearable medical alert devices, also announced a new partnership with Samsung to bring its emergency response capabilities to Gear smartwatches.  Called MobileHelp Smart, the devices integrate MobileHelp’s platform into a modified version of Samsung’s watch, taking advantage of its fitness-monitoring features, GPS, and cell capabilities." Learn more at Research Park.

• ADT Health.  "ADT, Reemo Health and Samsung have teamed together to provide customers with wellness data, connectivity and an ADT professionally-monitored personal emergency response system (PERS) on the stylish Samsung Gear S2 and S3 Gear smartwatches. Gone is the stigma from pendants and wristbands, users can proudly wear their PERS device with confidence, knowing that help is a simple tap away to a live two-way voice assistance with a specially-trained ADT agent directly from the watch’s speaker. Gear S2 or S3 can also track fitness trends, including steps and heart rate, encouraging seniors to stay active. The collaboration allows ADT to provide seniors, their families and caregivers, peace of mind and better visibility to their health, enabling them to actively manage their own wellness, maintain an independent lifestyle and access help anytime, if needed." Learn more at the CES overview from ADT.

• Corti. "Corti is an example of how AI can augment, not supplant, human healthcare workers. The AI runs in the background of an emergency dispatch call, analyzing not only the caller's words but also background noises that might include the victim's breathing patterns. It culls that information for indicators that someone is suffering from cardiac arrest, then prompts the dispatcher to ask questions or walk the callers through activities like CPR that could stabilize the patient until the ambulance arrives." Learn more at MobiHealthNews.