Age tech, aging tech, smart aging. These are three terms that refer to what digital technology can do for an aging society. Where Dutch politics seems to be hankering for nostalgic solutions such as the home for the elderly, the industry is throwing itself wholeheartedly into the "AgeTech market," as evidenced at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
With the cooperation of Rob Blaauboer
Age tech drives growth and ensures better health outcomes, reads the message at the international tech industry's annual party. Getting older is an opportunity! More than three hundred Fortune 500 companies are showing at the event. Plus a multitude of smaller companies and startups. And then there are the 130,000 visitors the event attracts.
The scope of Consumer Electronics Show is also huge. The organization claims on its own site that the show covers more than 40 different technologies and topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality and Cryptocurrency & NFTs to Fitness & Wearables, Food Technology, Gaming, Robotics & Drones and Smart Cities.
Momentum digital care
CES is also increasingly manifesting itself in the field of (digital) care and health. Trade association Consumer Technology Association (CTA), also organizer of CES, sees a growing interest in digital health among consumers, healthcare professionals and commercial parties. Together they are creating a growing momentum for digitalization of care and health.
Getting a grip on health
To back this up, CTA cites recent research of its own. In this survey, seven out of ten consumers indicate that they will increase their use of digital healthcare applications in the future. Three-quarters feel they have more control over their own health. Nearly 60 percent of consumers have used telehealth services. And 80 percent are satisfied with them.
Growing market
This growing usage translates into rosy market prospects. Research firm Statista predicts that the international market for digital care will account for $500 billion by 2025, up 79 percent from 2021. Grand View Research sees the market for remote care alone growing to be worth $787 billion by 2028.
Portable and personal
At the show itself, visitors can learn about "tools and technologies that reduce costs and simplify access for consumers who increasingly seek ways to take care and health into their own hands. [...] International brands and promising startups will showcase innovations that make care portable, personal and pliable."
Dutch mission
As usual, there is a solid Dutch delegation at CES. In total, some seventy Dutch start ups are showing up at CES 2024. About a third of these start ups are moving at the intersection of health and digital technology.
A good example is Whispp, which received an honorable mention from CES. The application helps people with voice (band) problems due to, for example, old age, throat cancer, ALS or Parkinson's disease make themselves better and easier to understand. "Our AI converts affected speech into a natural voice, which you can also personalize," said CEO Joris Castermans. "With a two-minute fragment of your old voice, you sound the way you used to sound."
Parkinson's, MS and old age often impact the musculoskeletal system as well. Around 200 million people worldwide have no or limited control over their hand function due to tremors and tremors. GyroGear promises patients with such symptoms virtually full functionality. And that for the special entry price of $4,899 instead of $5,899 (code 'Loveallserveall').
Falls are a major problem among the elderly. Not only do falls lead to fractures and sometimes even death, they also have a major impact on the independence, mobility and psychological well-being of the elderly. French-Belgian company Zoe Care developed an "invisible assistant" that uses a WiFi signal to detect whether an elderly person has fallen: "No wearables, no cameras, no microphones."
Whereas Zoe Care makes the home safer, nonprofit Hearsee Mobility is actually trying to open up the outside world for people with visual impairments. Thirty percent of them are afraid to go out the door properly. With a smart walking stick, Hearsee lends them a helping hand.
That smart technology is about more than just support, Nuance Audio/EssilorLuxottica demonstrates with an AI-controlled hearing aid fully integrated into the eyeglass frame. A cheeky branded frame, but digitally plussed up for hearing-impaired people who don't want to be immediately seen as such.
In addition to the more common applications to support sight and hearing, there are also aids for incontinence and sexual functioning for men with erectile dysfunction at CES.
You can learn about digital care and innovation yourself from April 9 to 11 during Zorg & ict 2024.
