Over the past 52 years, CES has showcased the latest tech at its annual gadget extravaganza, but only in the past 10 years has the focus turned to health tech.
Technology for female health has been especially late to the game, largely because of the male domination of consumer technology. But suddenly Femtech, as it is coming to be known, is one of the fastest-growing segments of health tech at CES. And it includes everything from beauty tech to maternal health tech to sexual health.
Here is an overview of some of the most prominent Femtech products being showcased at CES.
Willow has made itself a leader in the femtech space with a wearable in-bra breast pump. In 2017, It provided the market with the first quiet version of this device that can be used discreetly. At CES this week, it is showcasing the Willow Generation 3, the most advanced model yet, which will be available later this year.
The next iteration of Willow’s life-changing breast pump features new technology that helps moms produce more during a pump. In testing, those who used Generation 3 pumped 20% more milk on average than previous generations.
Milk output is maximised through new smart suction automation and a faster transition to expression, which is akin to the way a baby naturally nurses. Willow is also more comfortable than before with a softer, slower pumping rhythm and new sensitivity setting. An expanded range of levels puts moms in control of pumping preference.
The announcement follows the recent launch of Willow’s much-requested Milk Container – making it the only pump with the flexibility of both spill-proof Milk Bags and a reusable Container.
Another breast pump technology company, Elvie, has offered a space for women at CES 2020 to express milk, as well as a place to store it for later. Elvie’s ‘Pumping Parlor’ stand offers a relaxing space to pump and their team of experts will refrigerate stored milk. Additionally, complimentary Milk Stork Pump & Totes will be available for moms to tote their milk home. A Milk Shuttle service will run throughout CES, collecting milk from moms and transporting it back to the Pumping Parlour for refrigeration.
“Any new mom will know that finding a safe and secure space to pump can be a nightmare, especially when they go back to work,” says Tania Boler, CEO and Founder of Elvie. “Finding a place to pump at CES is one thing, but then what? Moms are leaving the event and rushing their milk back to their unreliable hotel fridge. In order for women to come back to work where and when they choose, conferences and employers need to do better.”
Read more on the next page about a machine that makes skin cream with AI, a make-up printer that evens out skin pigment, and a sexual health device that is designed to improve pleasure.
L’Oréal has unveiled an AI-powered at-home system called Perso, which features a four-step process to deliver on-the-spot skincare and cosmetic formulas.
The launch at CES 2020 in Las Vegas represents phase one of the rollout of this 3-in-1 technology. The device can also create custom formulas for lipstick and foundation — but the capabilities will launch at a later date.
It makes use of a motorised cartridge system to create personalised skin care formulas in four steps:
- Personal skin analysis: The user opens the Perso mobile app and takes a photo with the device’s camera. The app uses AI to analyse the user’s overall skin condition —including deep wrinkles, fine lines, the appearance of dark spots, and pore visibility.
- Environmental assessment: Using Breezometer geo-location data, Perso assesses local environmental conditions that can influence the state of the user’s skin, including weather, temperature, pollen, UV index, and humidity.
- Product preference: The user then enters their personal skincare concerns into the Perso app, including fine lines, dark spots, pigmentation, pore size, radiance, and dullness. The user can also input preferred texture and hydration-level to further customise their formula of moisturiser, serum, and under-eye cream.
- Custom formulation and dispensing: This collective data informs the creation of a personalised blend of high-performance skincare, dispensed in a portioned, single dose at the top of the device for easy, clean application. The technology adjusts for morning and evening application, and the device features a detachable mirrored top so consumers have the option of taking a single or larger dose with them.
Read more on the next page about a make-up printer that evens out skin pigment, and a sexual health device that is designed to improve pleasure.
P&G Ventures is showcasing the development of a handheld inkjet printer called Opte Precision Skincare System, which makes the appearance of skin’s hyperpigmentation disappear and fade spots over time. The device scans, detects, and corrects hyperpigmentation with precision application for smoother skin.
Opte Precision Skincare System first debuted at CES 2019, where the device received an overall positive response and four “Best Of” awards. This year, Opte returns to offer an inside look at how the device has progressed, with two updates:
- It has an improved user interface and upgraded OLED display
- It is more portable and adds connectivity to ensure a better user experience
The Opte wand scans the skin with an enhanced digital camera that captures 200 frames per second and instantly analyses each image using a proprietary algorithm to detect tonal imperfections not visible to the human eye. Using input from the algorithm, it precisely prints via a custom thermal inkjet printer and cartridge, depositing picolitre droplets of Spot Optimising Serum on target areas until there is a perfect colour match with the surrounding skin tone.
Read more on the next page about a sexual health device that is designed to improve pleasure.
CES hasn’t always been a feasible space for female sexual health. In 2019, sexual health brand Lora DiCarlo was awarded a CES Innovation Award in the Robotics and Drone category, which was quickly rescinded. The blunder showed that CES was willing to have sex dolls for men and VR pornography experiences, but wasn’t willing to showcase female sexual health products.
This quickly changed. This year, sexual health products – of all kinds – are included in the Health and Wellness category.
In 2017 at CES, Lioness showcased its first vibrator that uses patented biofeedback technology to help you improve your sex life.
At CES 2020, it will be showcasing the Lioness Generation 2, which provides AI-assisted guidance, based on years of working with Lioness customers, analysing data on 30 000+ orgasms, conducting dozens of user studies, and incorporating the latest machine-learning developments.
Lioness says this creates personalised tools so people can learn what works best for them, gain new insights, and improve their pleasure (and yes, that includes better orgasms).
This device is suited for those who have questions like “is this an orgasm?” or “how do I have an orgasm?”. Lioness says this may help users answer these kinds of questions. It may also provide a way of seeing where they might be getting close to orgasm over time and track when and what circumstances felt better for them.
Ultimately, these insights can be used to apply what is learned to enjoy better sex and orgasms by users or their partners.