Top 10 Health Gadgets Reviewed, including NANO Hearing aids, Scanwatch and more

• Wearable technology is an emerging trend that has been around for quite a number of years and continues strong in 2020 showing serious growth potential.
• Among the top performers are NANO hearing aids, Scanwatch and the new Ava – Fertility Tracking Bracelet, all which received overwhelmingly positive reviews on the internet. 

Wearable health technology is an emerging trend that has been around for quite a number of years and continues strong in 2020 showing serious growth potential. The wearables market started out with fitness in mind but has evolved and expanded around individual health and wellbeing. There are more new entries in the health gadget sector each year as more people are concerned with their overall physical and mental wellbeing. Looking to invest in a technologically sophisticated solution that fits their digitally powered lifestyle – the majority of health gadgets are accompanied by a respective app that you can easily access from your smartphone. Health gadgets compliment our digitally mindful reality offering a seamless transition from traditional diagnostic and tracking methods. Overall, helping each individual live a healthier life with the help of AI technologies and algorithms that are expanding the IoT landscape.

Remote monitoring of patients via various health gadgets and medically approved wearables are more relevant now than ever as we are currently living in a post-pandemic reality that is developing and discovering new ways to function remotely in almost every facet of our lives. Remote play and work arrangements have now become the norm and personalized wearables and gadgets could make all the difference in providing the right transitional tool to solve everyday issues that used to be addressed in a more traditional fashion.

Thus a wearable can help doctors monitor patient activity without actually seeing their patients directly which can have the potential to reduce healthcare costs and revolutionize how preventative medicine and healthcare is approached.

Below are some of the most prominent health wearables and gadgets in the market currently, transforming the way we monitor and track our physical and mental health.

1.Scanwatch by Withings

Scanwatch is primarily a fitness watch that can track your vitals and overall athletic endurance as it incorporates state-of-the-art medical technology making it great at tracking heartbeat irregularities and measuring oxygen saturation. Thus it can be used to monitor your overall physical well-being on a daily basis and can give you feedback via charts and graphics so you can always keep track of your physical stamina.

Apart from using the highest quality medical technology it also is a digitally savvy watch that connects to your smartphone via bluetooth and sends all of your personal health data to the accompanying Health Mate app available both on iOS and Android. At the same time the design is sleek and sophisticated with an improved version of their signature analogue smartwatch PMOLED screen. According to Crunchbase news, the company is extremely well funded.

2. Wireless App Controlled Nano Hearing Aids: The new SIGMA

The Nano “Sigma” hearing aid model features wireless digital technology that you can have easy access to through the Nano mobile app that can be accessible via bluetooth on your smartphone. Nano Sigma wireless can be personalized to fit your specific health needs, adjusting the volume on your hearing aid to suit your particular surroundings and individual needs. All settings can be accessed through the Nano app that can be directly downloaded on your smartphone. For further personalization the app gives you the ability to conduct a hearing test in order to customize your hearing aid to your specific needs and respective conditions i.e if you are outdoors or in noisy surroundings you can adjust your settings easily through the app.

Apart from offering easy volume control the Nano app also offers further frequency control so you can create an optimal hearing environment that can be easily controlled from your mobile phone. Furthermore the Nano Sigma uses well-known advanced microchip technology named “Audion 4” that is manufactured in the USA by Intricon and used by many expensive high-end hearing aids in the market. However, the Nano Sigma offers you a high-end experience without having the respective high costs or intricate settings that usually accompany these kinds of products. It also boasts excellent consumer reviews in the press. (See this NANO hearing aid review too).

3. Ava – Fertility Tracking Bracelet

Ava is a fertility tracking wearable that can also be used to track your cycle and monitor your weight and stress levels when pregnant. You just need to wear the Ava fertility bracelet overnight to collect the data needed and then sync with the app in the morning to get your results.

The uniqueness of the wearable is that it simultaneously tracks multiple physiological parameters such as temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, perfusion and resting pulse rate to give more accurate results than other similar apps on the market. Needless to say it is incredibly well positioned for one of the biggest reported market opportunities in the world.

4. Mateo Smart Bath Mat

If stepping on the scales every morning seems like a daunting task and you would like to know more about how you can improve your body’s overall wellbeing, not just weight monitoring,  then Mateo might be what you are looking for. MATEO is a smart bath mat that is linked through an app to your smartphone so you can get all of the data easily on your phone without ever actually having to see your weight.

The app gives you a detailed health report regarding your weight, a detailed account of your weight mass – fat and muscle mass content and will even tell you about your posture as it is equipped with a foot recognition AI algorithm. Instead of giving you a certain number each day that might be stressful and obsessive, it shows you your body’s general weight trends and alerts you if there is a sharp drop or increase in your weight.

5. MyFeel -Emotion Sensor & Mental Health Advisor

My Feel, is still in development and is the world’s first emotion sensor and mental health advisor that provides 24/7 continuous objective monitoring and real-time coaching to help people improve their emotional well-being.

The device is a wristband that is equipped with biosensors to monitor and track your emotions through physiological signals sent from the body such as heart rate and skin temperature. These signals are analyzed by an algorithm and tracked through the my feel free app that is connected to the wristband, monitoring the users emotions and providing mental health recommendations and personal coaching. With the help of advanced algorithms the users physiology is tracked, analyzed  and patterns are detected helping the device monitor the user’s emotions and suggest personalized support. The product’s goal is to provide improved mental health services to users while keeping the experience highly personalized and precise to the needs of each user.

6. Thermo – Smart Temporal Thermometer

Thermo is a highly accurate and contactless thermometer that has 16 infrared sensors and data from the thermometer can be directly linked to the free Thermo app that is available on iOS and Android. The app can help you keep track of your temperature at any given time allowing you to keep a journal of your symptoms and any medications you are taking by inputting your comments right into the app.

Also multiple users can share the Thermo app with memory for up to 8 individual temperature readings that can be tracked and sent to your physician. The Thermo by Withings seems like an ideal gadget especially in the post COVID-19 universe where a contactless feature is highly favorable and so is the ability to send results through the app directly to your physician for a remote diagnosis.

7. Glutrac – Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device

Glutrac is a non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring device that offers a breakthrough in glucose monitoring as it introduces an alternative to the intrusive traditional blood sugar testing. The device does not require a blood sample to give you a reading instead it uses an AI algorithm to provide blood sugar data.

The Glutrac watch is synced with an app where you can keep track of your blood sugar levels and this data can also be available to medical health professionals. The app along with the watch helps you keep track of your glucose levels helping you keep them at normal levels ensuring optimal health and minimizing any complications.

This device is not yet ready for the US market but is worth looking out for in the near future.

8. Lumo Lift – Posture Corrector

Lumo Lift is a posture coach that helps you stop slouching and be overall more aware of your body’s posture. Lumo Lift is basically a magnetic clasp that you can wear under your shirt below your collarbone and is activated when you attain an optimal posture level that you can then set as your target posture. The magnetic clasp is connected to your smartphone through the free Lumo Lift app that you can download on iOS and Android.

It works by using a simple vibration to let you know that you are slouching and should correct your posture. It helps you track your progress on the app and reminds you to sit up straight and have overall better posture when you’re sitting at your desk in front of the computer or when you’re watching tv or anywhere you might need a gentle but effective reminder. It helps you boost your confidence, reduce neck and back pain helping you look and feel better.

9. Oura Ring – Sleep Tracker

The Oura Ring is an alternative sleep tracker if you want a device that will not sit under your mattress or on your wrist as do the majority of sleep trackers out there that monitor your sleep patterns. This tracker is a ring sensor that monitors and stores key signals from your body while you sleep.

You can keep score of your sleep performance each day and get a more in depth report regarding the quality of your sleep, your heart rate, mobility and more so you can have a well informed account of your nightly sleep patterns. The data is presented through various charts and graphs that show the most important stats and sleep trends that you should be aware of so you can help improve your overall wellbeing and sleep habits.

10. Medwand – Telemedicine Device

The Medwand is a device that can help doctors give their patients a medical exam remotely. During the current pandemic, telemedicine has become more relevant than ever and finding an inexpensive and effective alternative to over the phone exams is more imperative now than ever.

The Medwand helps doctors conduct live medical exams remotely or the patient can conduct a self exam and record the results that can be then passed on to the doctor for their final diagnosis. The device comes with free software that can be downloaded and is compatible with windows 10 tablets laptops or pc’s so you can start tracking your vital signs from the convenience of your own home. The device uses more than 10 diagnostic parameters to make an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the patient’s condition.

Honorable Mentions:

•  Atmotube Pro is an air quality tracker that can stream live data to your smartphone – it’s compact and easy to carry around with you. Helpful if you have allergies as it can detect the presence of pollen, soot, dust. mold and other hazardous pollutants.
• Verilux CleanWave UV-C Portable Sanitizing Travel Wand is a sanitizing travel wand that can turn any surface into a germ free one by using UV-C light to kill the majority of bacteria and germs that are usually found on furniture and in common spaces. You just need to wave the wand over the surface for about 30-60 seconds. 
• Quell by NeuroMetrix is a wearable for relief of chronic pain that uses advanced neurotechnology. The wearable combines a band that can be worn on the upper calf delivering neural pulses to the brain in order to block pain signals even during sleep. The band is controlled and monitored by an app where you can personalize and manage your individual therapy. 

No matter what device you feel more inclined to try out or what your personal needs are or if you are just curious about what new technologies have to offer us, why not give something new and innovative a try. You might be pleasantly surprised and get some real value out of your wearable or health gadget that can improve your everyday life experience and overall well-being. The ideal health tech device should have a low refund and return rate, great reviews and free from scams, as many cheap Chinese brands are now flooding the market, causing numerous problems.

Good American health technology is your best bet. Nano Hearing Aids, Scanwatch and many of the above mentioned brands managed to earn excellent reviews, low refund rates and overwhelmingly positive feedback from the medical community. Be sure to stay tuned for future updates as the trend develops.