The ubiquity of fitness-tracking technology in recent years has meant people are generally becoming more conscious about their health.
Increasing
mainstream availability of sensors on wearables such as smartwatches -
that are able to give us better feedback about what’s happening in our
bodies - means more of us are discovering insights into our health and
looking at how we can improve it. But with so many health-improving
gizmos on the market, it’s not easy separating those that are truly
beneficial from those that are nothing more than a gimmick.
With that, I’ve picked out the best
health tech to improve your general wellbeing, and listed them via the
area of your health they will improve.
Boost metabolism: Sage Oracle One Touch by Heston Blumenthal
Available from Sage
The Oracle Touch by
Sage does absolutely everything you can imagine when it comes to coffee
making, effortlessly and with elegance
There’s nothing quite like the smell of a freshly-ground cup of
coffee to get you out of the sack in the morning, and Sage seems to
agree. With its Oracle One Touch coffee maker, this espresso machine is
fully automatic, making coffee shop menu favorites at the touch of a
button. It pulverizes your beans before every brew for extra freshness
using its built-in grinder and even lets you adjust the coarseness of
the grind with the flick of a knob, making switching things up for
specific tastes super easy. There's also automatic micro foaming and
tamping, just to make your morning that little extra effortless. And why
wouldn't you. Not only does a morning cup of the black stuff help
awaken you for the day ahead, but it keeps you looking good, too. It's
been proven that fresh coffee is one of the very few natural substances
that has been proven to aid fat burning, with a study in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition stating that caffeine can boost the
metabolic rate by up to 11%, helping you stay lean.
Lower blood pressure: Omron Evolv
Available from Boots
Te Omron Evolv lets you check your blood pressure anywhere, anytime
The Omron Evolv is a clinically-validated wireless blood
pressure monitor that is light enough to take anywhere with you, while
also being super easy to use. The device lets you easily measure, record
and share your blood pressure data with your family or doctor using an
app. It is also really well designed, which I was pleasantly surprised
about considering its function. Using a heart health algorithm, called
Advanced Accuracy, the device measures more data points and eliminates
interference from movement for more precise, clinically-accurate
readings. It also lets you easily measure, record and share your blood
pressure data with your family or doctor using the Omron Connect App.
Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the Evolv is one of my
favorite health gadgets, mainly because it works so effortlessly while
giving very accurate results, displayed simply in a well-designed app.
Unclog your arteries: Wacaco Minipresso NS portable espresso maker
Available from Bear&Bear
The Wacaco Minipresso espresso maker is small, light and portable enough to ensure you never miss out on your morning coffee
Whether your next trip away involves
backpacking, camping or slumming it in a hotel with no coffee-making
facilities, the Wacaco Minipresso espresso maker is small, light and
portable enough to ensure you never miss out on your morning coffee
again. And it’s a good job. Regularly slurping a cup of the black stuff
is associated with endless benefits, such as a lower incidence of
Parkinson’s and certain types of cancers, and even reduced rates of DNA
damage. The Center for Cohort Studies at Sungkyunkwan University,
Seoul, recently noted that drinking coffee could also reduce the risk
of clogged arteries, which can lead to heart attacks. A cup of coffee a
day keeps the illness away.
Get your five-a-day with ease: Scott Soup Maker
Available from Scott
Scott's soup maker is the perfect winter gadget, helping to keep you healthy with limited effort
The perfect gadget for when it's cold outside and you just don't have
the energy or patience to start making a big healthy meal: this soup
maker by Hong Kong firm Scott is like none other in its class. Not only
does it let you construct nice healthy soups with little effort, but it
boasts five automatic programs: thaw, vsoup, sauce, smoothie crushed ice
and then the function we all want: Auto Cleaning.
There's also an Expert mode that touts three mixing speeds and two
cooking temperatures, from gentle to intense. It's the ideal kitchen
winter appliance when you want to eat your five a day, but don't really
want to put all the effort in.
ZeroWater Purifier
Available from ZeroWater
The ZeroWater
filter uses the latest tech to get rid of every impurity from your tap
water, potentially saving you fortunes in water bottles
ZeroWater claims to be the only water filter brand that delivers the
equivalent to purified bottled water into your home. Using a
pour-through system, with an aim to deliver the best filtration possible
with their premium five-stage ion exchange technology, this filter
removes virtually all total dissolved solids (TDS), a claim which no
other filter jug or dispenser can put their name to.
This filtration system is certified by NSF International for the
reduction of Lead and other heavy metals such as Chromium 3 & 6 and
Mercury. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute have also revealed
that ZeroWater removes more total contaminants from water than a regular
Brita filter, making it a must have for all homes in the UK.
Avoid being eaten: Shark Banz
Available from SharkBanz.co.uk
I wore my SharkBanz with pride during some scuba diving in Puerto Rico earlier this year
So okay, it's not strictly a "health gadget" but there's nothing as
healthy as avoiding death by shark bite! This is the world's first
active shark deterrent wearable, called the SharkBanz, and designed for
those with active beach lifestyles, such as swimmers and surfers.
SharkBanz uses patented magnetic technology developed by marine
biologists to deter predatory shark species AND it's technology is based
on proven science, published research and testing.
Worn on the ankle or wrist, and requiring no charging or batteries,
the Shark Banz reduces risk of shark attacks for just £95 and allows you
to dive, swim or surf for up to 100m with greater peace of mind. It's
also super comfortable, so you can use it during any sports in waters
renowned for shark attacks and forget it's even there. Here's a picture
of me wearing it during some scuba diving in Puerto Rico. And guess what
- I didn't see one shark...
Lose weight: QardioBase
Available from Amazon
Keep tabs on your weight and body composition with QardioBase smart scales
Smart scales are by no means anything new, but the
QardioBase scales takes weighing yourself to a whole new level. As well
as weighing you, the connected scales will check your heart rate, water
percentage, body fat, bone mass and muscle mass and keep a record of all
this so you can compare your vitals over time. Accurately measures body
weight, body composition (including body fat percentage, muscle, water
and bone mass) and body mass index (BMI). Working with Apple Health,
Google Fit, and Samsung S Health, the scales connect to the free Qardio
App for iOS, Kindle, and Android, allowing users to share data easily
and set goals and reminders to achieve goals.
Better yet, the smart scales can also distinguish your
measurements from someone else's, meaning everyone in your household can
share them.
Cleaner lungs: Netatmo Healthy Home Coach
Available from Amazon
Check how clean the air in your home is with Netatmo's latest healthy home gadget
If you live in a big city, chances are the air that you breathe on a
daily basis could be doing damage to your health. All cities have
pockets, with some areas that are worse than others. How would you know
if this bad air, caused by pollution, is having an affect on the place
you spend your most time: your home? This is where Netatmo's Healthy
Home Coach comes in. It detects air quality level, humidity, temperature
and noise at home, and gives advice on how to create a healthier
environment.
You can also connect multiple healthy home coaches to your smartphone to monitor several rooms.
Better Digestion: Philips Avance centrifugal Juicer
Available from Amazon
Go on a digestive cleanse whenever you feel the need with Philips' Avance juicer
Fiber is one of the most important nutrients in helping us prevent
heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, some cancers, and also improve
digestive health. However, many people don't get enough fiber. One way
of ensuring you do is with a simple to use juicer such as Philips'
Avance. The juicer has FiberBoost technology, which enables you to
choose the texture of juice you prefer, selecting with the switch of a
button from a refreshing clear juice to a more creamy juice with up to
50% more fiber.
It's also super easy to clean, meaning you're more likely to keep up the juicing and not hide the appliance in the back of your cupboard once
the novelty wears off.
Healthier heart: AliveCor Kardia Band
Available from AliveCor
The Kardia band could save your life if your ticker is prone to heart problems
If you've already got yourself an
Apple Watch but you’re particularly worried about your ticker and want
to step the heart-rate monitoring level up a gear, then the Karida Band
is a good choice.
It's essentially a medical grade heart
monitoring Apple Watch strap by Silicon Valley health tech company
AliveCor, but what makes it special is its electrocardiogram (EKG) tech
that is designed to pick up palpitations, shortness of breath and other
reasons for concern which could increase the risk of a stroke. This is a
must-buy for any Apple Watch user even slightly worried about their
heart as it’s already been proven to pick up vital signs of
heart-related problems in several users, even heart attacks.
A healthier home: JosephJoseph Titan Trash Compactor
Available from JosephJoseph
The Titan bin has been designed with compaction tech that makes it the healthiest waste disposer you can find
While you might not think of your trash can when you think of keeping
healthy, it's actually becoming a bigger health problem by the day.
Dealing with waste is a global problem, with 1.3 billion tonnes
generated each year. And the more we produce, the more valuable space it
takes up in our home and outdoor areas. But Joseph Joseph is looking to
counteract that with the Titan, a compaction bin that holds three times
more waste than a similar-sized unit after compaction.
The tech involved in its patented, hygienic compaction design means
only the inside of liner touches the trash, leaving you with clean hands
and a clean bin. Titan also features anti-tear technology that guides
the liner downwards as you compact, and air channels so a full liner can
be easily removed. Then, there's an odor filter discreetly integrated
into the lid, which holds a replaceable carbon filter, to help eliminate
any unpleasant odors.
Cleaner lungs: Wair smart scarf
Coming soon
Block out city air pollution without looking like a surgeon with Wair's subtle smart scarf
Combining textile with tech can have
heaps of health benefits, it seems. Take this smart scarf, for instance,
which claims to be the world’s first anti-pollution scarf. Called Wair,
it keeps your lungs cleaner without compromising on fashion. Developed
by a French start-up named Clausette.cc, it’s especially beneficial for
cyclists, or those that live in a cold city where air pollution is a big
concern. In addition to filtering harmful pollutants, the fashionable
wraparound is connected to an app that provides real time air quality
updates.
Measure fever: Withings Thermo
Available from Nokia Health
The Thermo gives you accurate results on your fever so you know just how ill you really are
Just when you thought they couldn’t
make anything else connected, Withings goes and makes a connected
thermometer, allowing you to keep track of that fever. And like the Body
Cardio scales, the digital thermometer links to your Withings account
via the app and keeps tabs on your temperature over time. With 16
infrared sensors taking 4,000 measurements, it’s accuracy is a game
changer for anyone who often falls ill.
Better nutrition: Huel Complete Food
Available from Huel
Why eat when you can drink yourself healthier? Huel is a powdered drink with all the nutrients you'd ever need
Okay so it’s not strictly a health
“gadget”, but plenty of technology went into making Huel a thing.
Offering a nutritionally complete meal in powdered form, Huel can be
dissolved into water to give you all the 26 essential nutrients needed
to live a healthy balanced lifestyle on a daily basis.
How? It’s made from real food such as
milled down oats which are high in fiber, releasing energy slowly to
prevent snacking in-between meals. Due to the ingredients list of Huel,
the company says you could theoretically live off it 100 per cent of the
time. I say theoretically because I can promise the severe cravings for
real food would make this easy to do.
Injury recovery: FireFly
Available from FireFly
FireFly will help you recover from previous injuries without you even realizing
Firefly is a wearable that helps
accelerate sports recovery after exercise and minor injury. It’s
portable, has no leads or wires, and is worn behind the knee. Once
attached, it delivers painless electrical impulses to gently activate
the muscles of the lower leg to increase blood circulation.
Used by athletes at all levels, such
as British Olympic triathlete Vicky Holland, FireFly is clinically
proven to aid sports recovery, with benefits including the reduction of
delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after exercise, aiding the recovery
from a sprain or strain and reducing swelling.
Walking aid: Dring SmartCane
Available from Dring
Proof that anything can be 'smart' these days, the Dring smartCane is a game changer for those that need assistance when walking
Set to be one of 2017's biggest
head-turners is a device you’d not normally associate with bleeding-edge
technology: a walking stick. Designed by old-school walking stick
company Fayet, the SmartCane has been given a twenty-first century
injection with French firm Nov’in’s Dring tech, an intelligent alert
system. With an accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS inside the stick, any
falls can be detected and an alert with the user’s location is
automatically sent to get help.
Fertility monitoring: Ava
Available from Ava
The connected bracelet that helps women keep tabs on their monthly cycle
Ava is a fertility monitoring bracelet
founded in Switzerland by data scientists, experts in wearable
technology, and women’s health researchers all with the aim of bringing
innovation to women’s reproductive health. The bracelet is able to
precisely detect a woman’s entire fertile window in real time, so they
can better plan their monthly cycle.
Sleep better: ResMed S+
Available from Amazon
The S+ is an alarm
clock with a smart bonus feature; it can track your sleep without the
need for wires, cables or attached wearable devices
The S+ is touted as “the world’s first
non-contact, fully comprehensive sleep tracking system”. It features
patent-protected SleepSensor technology that tracks, analyzes and
improves sleep at home without the need for a wearable, electrodes or
mattress strips.
Sitting beside the bed like any old
alarm clock, the S+ uses out-of-the-ordinary calibrated respiratory and
bio-motion sensors to measure and analyze sleep stages, recording of the
movements caused by the expansion and relaxation of the chest with
breathing as well as body movements such as position changes, arm
twitches and shrugs.
The system connects to a free iOS and
Android app to record the quality of your night's sleep and a Smart
Alarm system allows users to set a window for the device to wake them up
naturally when they are in light sleep, so they'll feel more refreshed.
A great health gadget if you have trouble getting up on a morning. (Via Forbes)
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