Hormone levels can be easily tested and monitored at home using the Hormometer, an instant testing kit created by Canadian start-up Eli Health and launched this week at tech fair CES.The Hormometer is a monitoring system that combines a thermometer-like single-use testing cartridge with an AI-powered mobile app that can analyse the results in real-time.Eli Health claims it is the first to develop a portable and instant saliva-based testing product that gives precise readings across multiple hormones.The Hormometer testing kit is designed to be used like a thermometerAt launch, the company is offering testing kits for cortisol, often dubbed the "stress hormone", and progesterone, a hormone that is sometimes tracked in relation to fertility, menopause and menstrual health.While these hormones can already be tested for at home using saliva, urine or finger-prick tests, the samples generally have to be sent to a lab for analysis with results taking a few days or a couple of weeks.Eli Health envisages that its Hormometer system will do for hormone-related health conditions what the glucose meter did for diabetes care, enabling users to manage their wellbeing on a much more informed and personalised basis.The results are analysed by an accompanying app"We are creating unprecedented access to hormone health insights, providing individuals with the tools they need to better understand and support their wellness every day and across life," said Eli Health co-founder and CEO Marina Pavlovic Rivas."We are making hormone monitoring as simple and accessible as checking your heart rate, helping people proactively manage their health."Testing with the Hormometer cartridge, topped with a pastel-hued circular tab that is colour-coded to the hormone being tested.The system allows people to monitor their hormone levels at homeAt the other end of the cartridge is the collection pad, which the user holds in their mouth to gather a saliva sample as if measuring their temperature with a thermometer.After a minute, they can remove the tester from their mouth, pull on the circular tab to retract the collection pad into the base of the cartridge and wait for the sample to mix with reagents.The results are presented as a series of lines, similar to a pregnancy or covid test, which users can interpret with the help of the accompanying app.Read: Yihan Dong designs at-home HPV test to be "as easy to use as toilet paper"Using the phone's camera and a custom AI algorithm, the app analyses elements such as the test's colour intensity and pattern to provide an instant reading of the hormone level, according to Eli Health.The app also offers trend reports and recommendations for how to manage hormones and their related health conditions.The Hormometer debuted this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where it won a 2025 Best of Innovation award in Digital Health at the CES Innovation Awards.The app also offers recommendations for how to manage hormonesWhile it is launching with tests for cortisol and progesterone, Eli Health is also developing versions for testosterone and estradiol a type of oestrogen that declines during menopause.Hormone levels have been a trending topic in online wellness communities in the past year.This is especially true of cortisol, which is linked to energy, metabolism, inflammation and sleep, and has been pinpointed by content creators as a possible culprit for fatigue, weight gain and puffy "cortisol face". However, medical experts advise that significant issues with cortisol imbalance are rare.The Hormometer is portable and can be used anywhereEli Health says beta access to the Hormometer will begin in the US and Canada this month.Other recent innovations in the health tech space include the Athena helmet that prevents chemo-related hair loss and an at-home HPV test designed to be as easy to use as toilet paper.CES 2025 takes place at various locations in Las Vegas from 7 to 10 January 2025. SeeDezeen Events Guidefor an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.The post Hormometer provides instant at-home hormone level readings appeared first on Dezeen.

CES 2025 is an absolute labyrinth of products and companies, which is why smaller events like Pepcom are pefect for getting a brief preview of what stuff to expect on the show floor. Held on the 6th of January, Pepcom pre-empted CES by a day, giving the media a chance to look at new products before CES officially began. The show floor of the ballroom at Caesars Palace was filled with hundreds of exhibitors, featuring a lot of regulars and industry veterans like HP, IBM, Sandisk, Anker, etc. But among these companies sat a few unusual newbies that had the most bizarrely unique products one could see.This roundup is merely to highlight the products that stood at the intersection between crazy and cool. Youre used to seeing new phones with better processors and bigger batteries thats the innovation youve come to expect but what Im about to show you is stuff that usually doesnt come about too often from robot vacuums with robotic arms that pick up laundry, to self-rocking cradles, to an AI translator that can clone your voice and make you speak 72 languages. Heres the crazy + cool stuff we saw at Pepcom today.Roborock Saros Z70 A Vacuum with a Robotic ArmCleaning up isnt really complete if all youre doing is removing dust. Cleaning also means picking up items, rearranging them, and keeping areas rubbish-free something that Roborocks latest vacuum does thanks to a built-in robotic arm. The Roborock Saros Z70 feels like a gadget pulled straight from a sci-fi flick, thanks to its OmniGrip robotic arm. This nifty five-axis appendage can grab stray socks, tissues, and other obstacles weighing up to 300 grams, saving your vacuum from a battlefield of household clutter. It uses sensors and an RGB camera to identify and scoop up items, placing them in preset locationsall controlled through the Roborock app. Use it with socks, dirty laundry, or even toys that your kids or pets keep strewn around the place. Never step on a bare LEGO brick again!The rest of the Saros Z70 is equally impressive. It packs 22,000Pa of suction power, dual spinning mops that detach when not in use, and the brains of StarSight Autonomous System 2.0 for spot-on navigation. Paired with Roborocks Multifunctional Dock 4.0, it takes care of auto-emptying, charging, and mop washing like a pro. Plus, with support for Matter 1.4 coming in hot, its ready to play nice with your smart home setup. Roborock plans to roll this out in June 2025, and really the only thing missing is a cup holder so that this bot can go get me my coffee!MW75 Neuro Brain Sensing HeadphonesImagine headphones that not only play your favorite tunes but also keep tabs on your brains well-being. Enter the MW75 Neuro, a collaboration between Neurable Inc. and Master & Dynamic. These arent your average cans; theyre equipped with Neurables brain-computer interface (BCI) tech, featuring electroencephalography (EEG) sensors tucked into the ear pads. This setup lets you monitor your focus levels and cognitive health, all through a user-friendly app. Feeling the midday slump? The MW75 Neuro can nudge you to take a break, aiming to stave off burnout.Beyond the brainy bits, these headphones dont skimp on audio quality, staying true to Master & Dynamics premium sound reputation. The MW75 Neuro represents a leap toward integrating neurotechnology into everyday gadgets, making it easier to keep an eye on mental well-being. As of September 2024, theyre available for purchase through Neurables and Master & Dynamics websites.Vasco Q1 Translator with AI Voice Cloning featureWeve seen a lot of AI translators, but this is the first time Ive actually had my voice cloned by an AI. The Q1 by Vasco boasts this feature, and as someone who actually tested out this feature, let me mention that its scary how impressive it is. This feature allows users to create a synthesized version of their own voice, making translations sound like you in any of the 72 supported languages. Its the only device on the market with this capability, offering a more natural way to communicate across cultures. Combined with touchless mode and phone call translation, its designed to make conversations seamless, whether youre dialing internationally or chatting in person.Beyond its star feature, the Q1 is packed with versatile tools like photo translation for signs and books, and text-to-speech capabilities powered by 11 translation engines. A built-in SIM provides connectivity in over 200 countries, with translation happening in under a second when conditions are optimal. The device is set to launch this spring, with pricing expected around $500, making it an intriguing option for frequent travelers or global business pros.Fight Camp Punch Trackers and Punching BagFightCamp is more than just a punching bag; its a comprehensive fitness system that helps you train like a fighter. The platform offers over 3,000 workouts, ranging from boxing and kickboxing routines to strength training, conditioning, and core exercises. You can tailor your experience with options for 4, 6, 8, or 10-round boxing sessions, ensuring workouts fit your schedule and fitness level. And its not all about throwing punchesdynamic warm-ups and core exercises are part of the program to help you build the rotational strength needed for powerful strikes.At the heart of FightCamps system are its punch trackers, which monitor the speed and power of your strikes, giving you real-time feedback. These trackers also provide output scores, offering insight into your progress. While the trackers dont directly build your core strength, they reveal where improvement is needed, encouraging you to integrate core and conditioning exercises for better rotation and stronger punches. The rechargeable trackers dock easily and hold their charge through intense sessions, making them seamless companions for consistent training. Whether youre a beginner or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, FightCamp turns your living room into a full-on fight gym.Elvie Rise A Baby Bassinet that Rocks Back and ForthElvies latest innovation, the Rise, is a two-in-one smart baby bouncer that effortlessly transforms into a bassinet, aiming to simplify the lives of new parents. Controlled via an intuitive app, the Rise features SootheLoop technology, allowing caregivers to record and automate personalized bouncing patterns to comfort their little ones. This seamless transition from bouncer to bassinet ensures that babies can drift into sleep without disturbance, adhering to the American Academy of Pediatrics sleep safety guidelines with its firm, flat mattress, and breathable fabrics.Designed for newborns up to six months or 20 pounds, the Rise offers both manual and automatic bouncing modes, catering to the varying needs of infants. While the $799 price tag positions it at the premium end of the market, its multifunctionality and focus on safety may appeal to parents seeking convenience and some well-deserved peace of mind.The post Behold The Weirdest Coolest Gadgets at Pepcom during CES 2025 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Experts see the bright side of the new year.

Laubwerk's large plant model library is now available for Cinema 4D, but there's the catch.

The lack of cheap EVs and the reliance on combustion engines is putting Europes plan to ban new petrol cars by 2035 at risk.

Abstaining from alcohol can have immediate benefits. But lasting gains require lasting change.

More of the wild ideas and clever innovations were seeing this week at techs big show in Las Vegas.

MacworldAt the Consumer Electronics Show thats currently going on in Las Vegas, Dell made a major announcement about its laptops. [I know what youre thinking: Whoa whoa whoa, WTF? This is Macworld! Why is this Loyola guy writing about Dell? Wheres his latest screed about how the Mac rulez? Stick with me for a minute. Please.] Dell is undergoing a major rebranding effort, dropping the XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brands that customers have come to love. (Okay, maybe not love, more like recognize.)The new names for its laptops? Hold on to your hats. They are (drumroll, please):Dell.Dell Pro.Dell Pro Max.[Hold ondid you catch that last one, Dell Pro Max? I want to make sure, because if youre like me and hate Macworlds page design, then you know that we place an ad insert after the fourth paragraph in each and every news article, much to the editors chagrin. So single-word paragraphs like Dell Pro Max can get lost in our layout.]Now, those namesespecially the Dell Pro and Dell Pro Maxsound familiar, dont they? If only social media (and by social media, I mean BlueSky) can clue me in11/10 headline. no notes.*DELL UNVEILS NEW APPLE-LIKE NAMES FOR ITS PERSONAL COMPUTERS George Pearkes (@peark.es) 2025-01-06T19:57:10.896ZCan't believe Dell is killing off the XPS brand and replacing it with Apple's silly words instead! https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24325799/dell-pro-max-premium-plus-ces-laptop-pc-rebrand-announcement Sean Hollister (@seanhollister.bsky.social) 2025-01-06T20:48:40.787029ZThis is the dumbest naming strategy Ive ever seen in my life. Way to take the worst things from Apple and somehow make them even more confusing. This is not an improvement, Dell! via https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24325799/dell-pro-max-premium-plus-ces-laptop-pc-rebrand-announcement Christina Warren (@filmgirl.bsky.social) 2025-01-06T20:51:24.548939ZHey now, hold on George, Sean, and Christina! According to PCWorld, Dells new names have nothing to do with Apple. When asked about copying Apples names, Dell executives dismissed the concern, indicating that these are universal terms that consumers are already familiar with. Umm, why are they familiar terms? Maybe because Apple uses them? Perhaps?But wait! The Dell naming goes one step further, providing that Dell isnt copying Apple! Says PCWorld:Under each tier, computers will also be split up into three more sub-categories.Baseis, well, the base modelPlusis a step above thatPremiumis the top-end model in each tierSo that means Dells top-of-the-line laptop will be referred to as the Dell Pro Max (Premium), which is a step above the Dell Pro Max (Plus), which is a step above the Dell Pro Max (Base), which is a step above the Dell Pro (Premium), which isbetter than XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude?Anyway, for as long as Ive been covering Apple and tech in general, there are many things you can count on, and one of those things is that companies copy each other and deny that they are doing so. And another thing you can count on is that PC fanboys will deny that Dell is copying Apple even though it clearly is. Those are sure bets and if I could put money on them, I would.

MacworldToday the Macalope comes not to bury AI but to praise it.Okay, just a little, but still.Faithful readers of the horny ones ribald rants might get the sense from them that the Macalope thinks AI should be hurled into the dustbin of history and taken to the garbage dump of the ages to later be burned in the incinerator of perdition. He is here to assure you that his view on AI is far more nuanced than that.Well, more nuanced. Somewhat. A little more nuanced.Theres definitely a measurable quantity of nuance to be found. Depending on the precision of the instruments used to do the measuring. The Macalope has not read the standards memos published by the National Board of Nuance and hes currently unfamiliar with the tools being used in the nuance measuring industry.They probably have AI in them.Lets describe the Macalopes philosophy on AI as something that works great in certain instances and has great potential thats being aggressively misused and over-applied.Despite the potential, there continue to be problems. Like when Apple Intelligence is making up headlines of fake news and passing them around as real notifications.Look, its no big deal, all it did was say that a boxer that lost a bout won and that a former professional tennis player came out as gay when uh, they had not at all come out as gay in any way.As if the disinformation age could get any worse, we now have machines churning out random, entirely wrong information on events that it had a 50/50 chance of getting right.The boxing one. The sexuality one, thats complicated. Well, maybe there are draws in boxing. There definitely are in sexuality.[wink]IDG(The Macalope doesnt know what that means, either.)Whatever the case, we dont need to worry. Apple is on it! According to the BBC, Apple is working on a software change to further clarify when the notifications are summaries that have been generated by the Apple Intelligence system.This person won a boxing match. (Disclaimer: Apple Intelligence has no idea who won this match, honestly. Its so tired.) Fantastic. Problem solved.Tim Cook loves summaries, by the way. Or so he keeps saying. Not sure which ones hes reading. Probably not these.The thing is, while AI does not seem good at these tasks, there are still things it really is good at. They just happen to be defined tasks performed on defined data sets. And hows someone supposed to get rich off of that?AI is quite good at providing suggested solutions for technical problems. Ask it for code snippets or how to fix computer problems and it will usually come back with something helpful. Probably still best not to just cut and paste if youre working on nuclear reactor software, but its definitely good enough for web work. Heck, AI has already helped at least one member of the Macalopes family fix a computer problem without his intervention. If he can get out of the business of being free technical support for certain family member, so much the better.So, is AI without merit? Quite the contrary. Its incredibly useful in certain, defined instances. But it should be being implemented more judiciously and not being summarily shoved into everything. Your faucet, for example, does not need AI.To let you know how crazy that is, the Macalope just typed ai faucet into DuckDuckGo and was 100 percent sure hed get a hit without having looked previously.Also, just gonna throw it out there based on the second search he did: can someone hack these AI-powered caddies sometime soon? The Macalope really needs to see the video of golfers being chased across the fairway by them. Preferably set to Yakety Sax. TIA.To highlight one of the problems with AI, these are billed as AI-powered golf carts, but thats not what they are. You ride in golf carts. Because these just carry your clubs, theyre replacements for caddies, not carts. If caddies were unionized, AI-powered scabs would be more correct than AI-powered golf carts. So much of AI revolves around how to put someone out of a job.Its also just easy to make fun of AI. When the fruit is so low and so wonderfully ripe, whats a mythical beast to do?Okay, okay. The Macalope was going to say nice things about AI today. He does see great potential in AI long-term. The problem is less AI than it is the people trying to ram it into everything to make a buck. When it becomes clear what is going to work and what isntbasically when the technology becomes as boring as touch screens and tapping to pay for somethingmaybe we can enjoy it more.

A new report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) indicates the tariffs President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose against foreign shipments of technology into the US could threaten the products consumers rely on.Trump, who re-takes office on Jan. 20, recently threatened to impose significant tariffs on technology and other imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. On Nov. 25, for example, he unveiled plans to implement a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico, using the measure to pressure the two nations to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking.Additionally, he proposed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, citing concerns over trade imbalances and unfair practices.Specifically, levies on technology product and parts imports could reduce US consumer purchasing power by between $90 billion and $143 billion. That, in turn, could force laptop and tablet prices up by as much as 46% and potentially cut laptop and tablet purchases by 68%, gaming consoles by 58%, and smartphones by 37%, according to the CTA report.The prospect of new tariffs has raised concerns among economists and trading partners. Maurice Obstfeld, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, warned in an interview with MarketWatch that such measures could lead to the formation of hostile trading blocs and a potential global economic downturn.Consumer Technology AssoociationIn response to the Trump threats, the Canadian government has indicated it would retaliate against any tariffs on Canadian goods; for its part, Mexico has said any such tariffs would not effectively address immigration issues.The incoming administration must address how tariffs impact American businesses and consumers, said CTA Vice President of Trade Ed Brzytwa. Retaliation from our trading partners raises costs, disrupts supply chains, and hurts the competitiveness of US industries. US trade policy should protect consumers and help American businesses succeed globally.Without tariffs in place, the CTA expects robust growth for the US consumer tech industry in 2025, projecting record retail revenue will rise 3.2% compared to 2024 to $537 billion this year.Stephen Minton, IDC vice president of data and analytics research, said the impact of tariffs on PC, tablet, and smartphone prices and sales will depend on tariff size, exemptions, timing, and the inclusion of PCs and components.So, its too early to get specific, but what we do know is that a large share of PCs are currently still manufactured in China almost 90% of the global market which makes PCs more exposed to some of the proposed tariffs than most other IT segments, Minton said.US vendors like Apple, HP, and Dell still manufacture most of their PCs in China, but some of those companies have begun shifting production to countries like Vietnam and Thailand, Minton noted. (Apple has also made a push to move manufacturing to India.)Even so, any large new tariffs on imports from China would almost certainly lead to PC price increases, Minton said.This could force enterprises to purchase fewer PC upgrades in order to stay within their allocated 2025 budgets, Minton said. This would be especially true at the lower end of the market, where theres very little margin for vendors to absorb the impact of any new tariffs. Its likely that any significant new tariffs would be passed on to all customers.Additionally, in reaction to the possibility of tariffs, tech suppliers could stockpile inventory in early 2025 to avoid future price hikes, according to Greg Davis, an analyst with market research firm Canalys.Commercial demand for PCs and tablets remained strong in late 2024, with 12% shipment growth in Q3. The Windows 11 refresh is ongoing especially with the end of support for Windows 10 coming in October and commercial strength is expected to persist into early 2025, according to Davis. Total PC shipments to the US are expected to rise 6% to just under 70 million units in 2024 followed by modest 2% growth in both 2025 and 2026.Consumer purchases drove growth earlier this year, but the commercial market now leads US PC sales, according to Davis. Businesses large and small are upgrading to Windows 11 PCs more actively in the second half of the year.Even so, macroeconomic conditions in the US are not expected to be as stable in the near-term as they have been over the last year or two, Davis said. With reports of import tariffs seemingly on the horizon, the PC market will likely be impacted in a noticeable way, he said.