The first gadget announcements to come out of the CES technology show suggest health and beauty will be one of the key themes of the annual electronics convention in Las Vegas.
The trade show doesn’t officially open its doors until Tuesday, but many of the thousands of companies exhibiting at the event have begun unveiling the innovations they have been working on, with artificial intelligence-powered health screening emerging as a key trend.
On Sunday evening, tech giant Samsung unveiled a beauty mirror as part of its latest wave of smart home updates, with the device taking a short scan of a user’s face before using AI to analyse and flag any potential issues around wrinkles, pores, skin colouring or redness spotted on the skin.
Then, as part of a link-up with a South Korean beauty firm, the mirror can also recommend products based on the user’s perceived needs.
This AI-based, personalised approach to skincare has been seen in an announcement from skincare giant L’Oreal, who have unveiled a new tabletop device which contains a so-called “lab-on-a-chip” that analyses a skin sample gathered from a strip placed onto the cheek for several minutes.
Set to be first utilised in stores, the Cell BioPrint device combines its AI-powered analysis with photos taken of a user’s face to offer up a range of insights, L’Oreal says – including the skin’s age, any potential issues it sees may arise in the future, and which ingredients skin may be more responsive too, to help users find the most suitable cosmetic products for them.
French health tech firm Withings has also come to CES with a smart mirror – the Omnia – a full-length mirror and combined base that users stand on and receive full-body scanning and health analysis, including insights around weight and heart health.
For over 15 years, we at Withings have been imagining and constantly pushing the boundaries of connected health.
Today, it's time to unveil our ambitious vision for the health of tomorrow.
Join us at @CES to experience OMNIA - Health Conceptual Product. https://t.co/2TlYbBvqmj pic.twitter.com/d4q32Kucrd— Withings (@Withings) January 6, 2025
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The Omnia also includes a built-in AI assistant to offer feedback and guidance on a user’s health, with the mirror able to pull in data from connected devices such as smartwatches to help build a clearer picture of a user’s daily health.
Ahead of CES, industry experts predicted that smart home devices would become a key focus for AI as a way of enhancing smart home products and bringing new interest to the sector.
But CES is also known for the array of more unusual gadgets unveiled during the event, and 2025 already looks as though it will be no different.
Among these is a product that still has a health angle – the Electric Salt Spoon from Japanese firm, Kirin.
It uses electricity to enhance the salty taste of low-sodium foods, with the aim of reducing the salt intake of users.
Elsewhere, start-up AtmosGear says it has created the world’s first electric inline skates, which have a range of up to 16 miles and a top speed of 18 miles per hour, with a wearable power pack used to propel the wearer along.
Robots too, are a popular theme during CES, and this year among those on display is Tombot, a range of robotic puppies designed to be emotional support animals to those who may not otherwise be able to have a pet because of health or other issues.
Tombot’s puppies have been designed to look and sound realistic, include interactive sensors to help them respond to the user and can respond to voice commands.
