Weirdest CES health gadgets that detect breast cancer, measure body fat and turn you into a computer device

The annual CES Las Vegas show is a famous testing ground for some of the slightly crazier health tech ideas.

This year is no exception, with developers launching a range of products that could change many people’s lives.

Many of these products are now in the final stages of development and are being released if they are not already available through early access.

But some also remain largely conceptual prototypes, such as a mirror that allows you to scan someone for body fat percentage, which the presenter said was still just an example of what they could do.

After walking the show, DailyMail.com can reveal some of this year’s best healthcare devices here:

A computer mouse controlled by your tongue

It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but the developers have designed a computer mouse that is controlled entirely by your tongue.

The device, called the Augmental Mouthpad, is shaped like a mini mouthguard with a metal pad in the middle that is inserted into the roof of the mouth.

To create the mouthguard, a 3D scan of the mouth is taken before it is developed to fit neatly.

The device was developed for people with paralysis, or for people who have difficulty using their upper and lower limbs due to a medical condition.

But there is already a lot of interest from gamers, the developers say, and some have signed up for the product.

A spokesperson explained the device, saying that a person could move a cursor around the screen by dragging their tongue across the metal part in the center of the device.

To left click, users tap the pad with their tongue, to right click they suddenly suck in air, and to scroll they slide the tongue across the pad in one motion.

When asked if it makes your tongue tired, a spokesperson said this was highly unlikely. He added that the tongue is constantly used to speak, but does not tire.

The device opened up to an early access program in the US this year and now has 70 users who paid $1,500 for the device.

Developers plan to launch the product in mid-summer, but say it will likely come with a higher price tag.

A needleless injection device

It may seem like a utopia, but soon it may actually be possible to get vaccinated without being pricked by a needle.

Dutch startup Flowbeams has developed a small pen-like device that can inject into the body without tearing the skin.

Instead of using a needle, it superheats and then shoots a jet of liquid ‘thinner than a hair strand’ at the skin at a speed of 200 miles per hour.

This passes through the skin without rupturing cells, the developers say, and delivers the fluid without causing significant pain or skin damage.

The device is currently being developed for administering Botox, filler and other cosmetic fluids.

But CEO Lea Milovich told DailyMail.com that they also wanted to use the device to inject vaccines or insulin.

Development started in 2014 and FlowBeams was founded three years ago. The company said it hopes to bring it to market in the next one to two years.

About 25 percent of Americans fear needles, surveys show, while about 16 percent say they routinely avoid injections because of it.

A bra that can diagnose breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US, with an estimated 310,000 cases per year; a number that will increase by 77 percent by 2050.

Early detection is crucial for survival, with women whose cancer is revealed before it spreads having a survival rate of up to 86 percent, compared to 31 percent for those whose cancer spreads beyond the breasts.

But amid health insurance issues and the hustle and bustle of daily life, estimates suggest that around 25 percent of women don’t get regular scans.

To close the gap and provide early warning of the cancer, French start-up phibra is developing a wearable bra that can monitor the breasts for serious changes.

Users wear the bra once a month for 15 minutes, which has up to 80 sensors to measure breast density and temperature.

If it detects sudden changes, the system will alert the user to book a consultation with a doctor.

Colin Gutton, COO of the company, told DailyMail.com that the aim was to ensure earlier diagnosis of breast cancer and make it accessible to everyone.

The product is still in the early stages of development and was tested on 50 women in France to ensure it was safe to use.

The start-up is now seeking funding for large-scale trials to further test the product compared to conventional mammograms.

But developers hope to bring it to market by October 2026, at a price of about $350 to $450 per bra.

They emphasize that it should not be used as a replacement for breast scans, which users should still get as recommended.

Currently, U.S. health officials say women over age 40 should be scanned for breast cancer every year, and women over age 50 should get checked every two years. Amid a rise in breast cancer cases among young women, some of these are also being scanned.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the lowest body fat percentage of them all?

Another device making headlines at CES this year is a mirror that measures a person’s body fat.

It was revealed by scale company Withings, who admitted the product was only a ‘prototype’ and not yet in development.

The mirror is shaped similarly to an iPhone screen, although much larger, and is attached to a shell-like unit at the bottom.

Users simply step on the scale which then scans the body and projects the results onto the large mirror.

The technology includes five sets of diagnostics, including heart health, breathing rate, sleep and vitamin levels in the blood.

In the demonstration for DailyMail.com, the mirror showed details of how the reporter’s alleged body fat and breathing rate had changed over time.

It also said it had discovered low levels of vitamin C, that it immediately purchased supplements for the reporter to take, and that it was a feature with the heart that it was concerned about, and that it told the reporter to contact take with his doctor.

A Withings spokesperson at CES emphasized that the product was still largely a prototype and that the technology for all this via a mirror was not yet available.

But they said it was intended as a demonstration of what Withings hopes to achieve in the future.

Free 90 second eye test in a store near you

A machine that can test your eyesight and prepare a prescription in just 90 seconds could be coming to a supermarket near you.

The Eyebot is a self-service device that performs the tests for free and then charges a small fee to dispense an ophthalmologist-approved prescription.

It uses the same features as a standard eye test, showing a random series of letters that gradually become smaller and a hot air balloon that shifts in and out of focus.

The DailyMail.com reporter tested the machine while wearing contact lenses and found it easy to use and effective.

It gave a slightly different prescription, which founder Dr Martin Hofmann said was probably due to the contacts and suggested the reporter should stick to glasses.

Eyebot has already been rolled out in a handful of ophthalmology stores in Massachusetts, and has been a quick success, with each machine “seeing” about 100 patients per day.

Founder Matthias Hofmann told DailyMail.com: ‘You say free eye test and, boom, you have a line!’.

The machines are now picking up steam, and a partnership with an undisclosed major ophthalmology chain is expected to be announced early this year.

But a spokesperson said they also planned to get the machines into Walmart, Target or a similar major chain – to make them more accessible to customers.

And the machines were not without fans at CES, with DailyMail.com seeing that – despite returning to the stand three times – there was always a queue of at least four people to try the product.

Hofmann told DailyMail.com that he decided on the invention after discovering that eye tests on smartphones were unpopular.

The aim was also to offer a quick and easy way to get an eye test, without having to book an expensive consultation that could take up an hour of someone’s day.

Of the estimated 93 million Americans at high risk for severe vision loss, only half have visited an ophthalmologist in the past year – largely due to lack of awareness or cost.