NEW APP-DRIVEN GADGETS AT C.E.S. VEGAS:
BLUETOOTH FOR BABIES
Until now, that three-minute wait for a home pregnancy-test result comes with no built-in distraction. However, First Response will start selling a Bluetooth-enabled test that links with a woman's smartphone, recommending BuzzFeed quizzes and videos or health-related articles to pass the time while awaiting the result.
The test also claims to tailor itself to the test-taker from the first yes or no question: Do you want to have a baby? And it doesn't stop once the test is done, as it can track a potential due date, add that to a woman's phone calendar and offer to share the news via email or text.
SMART FRIDGE, SMART BED
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No need to open the fridge door to know what's left inside. LG Electronics will let you peek through an opaque glass window that lights up from the inside with a tap, saving electricity. With a different fridge, stocking up wouldn't require a grocery run; one from Samsung and Mastercard comes equipped with an installed ordering app.
Another company contends you don't need a smart fridge to make your own a thinker. The company Smarter expects to sell mats with sensors and in-fridge cameras that can remotely tell you what's left in your fridge.
Making beds smarter is Beddit's goal. The company's thin belt-length sensors go under the sheet and are supposed to measure your heart rate, respiration and restless tossing and turning throughout the night.
WATERING DOWN THE WATER USE
Some gizmos promise easier ways to cut down on water use, particularly in drought-stricken areas. Nascent Objects' Droppler is to water what the app Shazam is to music; it listens closely to the running water in a faucet to tell you how much you've likely used.
Edyn has introduced a solar-powered water valve with an app gadget that will only water plants when they need it.
A smart shower head called Hydrao has lights that change from green to red the more water you use and sends the data to an app.
BIG MOTHER
The mother hub is watching. Sen.se's Silver Mother hub, that is, which aims to ensure that an elderly person living alone takes his or her pills, drinks enough water and goes about other daily routines.
The small plastic figure resembles a Russian nesting doll that can nudge seniors with some not-so-subtle hints - the sound of running water, for instance, might remind someone it's time to drink some water. It can also call in with recorded reminders that it's pill-taking time or send alerts to caregivers and loved ones if something seems awry.
