LAS VEGAS — The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 unveiled a range of health technology gadgets promising to elevate personal wellness and healthcare accessibility. Innovations such as a smart scale designed to assess cardiovascular health by scanning feet, and an AI-powered, egg-shaped hormone monitoring device intended to assist with conception timing, exemplify the sector's drive towards integrating artificial intelligence into health monitoring.
Despite the intriguing possibilities, both technology and health professionals express reservations regarding the reliability of these products and caution over the privacy of collected data. These concerns intensify as recent regulatory shifts have eased federal oversight on certain medical-related devices.
In particular, the Food and Drug Administration announced at the event a relaxation of rules governing "low-risk" wellness products, including heart monitors and mobility aids like wheelchairs. This move aligns with initiatives under the current presidential administration aimed at reducing impediments to AI development and application in health contexts. Parallel to these federal steps, the White House rescinded a prior executive order that had set guidelines around AI usage, while the Department of Health and Human Services recently publicized a strategic plan to broaden AI integration in healthcare.
CES exhibitors presented technologies targeting critical needs such as improving care access in rural regions facing physician shortages, fostering women's health research, and enhancing daily living for individuals with disabilities.
Marschall Runge, a professor of medical science at the University of Michigan, highlighted AI's significant contributions within the substantial $4.3 trillion healthcare industry. He acknowledged that AI excels at interpreting medical imaging and can alleviate physician workloads. However, he also cautioned against inaccuracies arising from AI, including biases and the generation of false assertions presented as facts, often referred to as "hallucinations."
Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, urged consumers to recognize that AI tools do not substitute for the expertise of experienced, research-informed healthcare practitioners. She pointed out that privacy protections like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act do not encompass data collected by consumer-focused devices. Accordingly, companies might utilize this data to develop AI models or commercialize it, raising significant privacy concerns.
Privacy transparency remains a core issue. Cohn emphasized the challenge consumers face in understanding how their data is handled, often buried within complex legal language. She stated, "You have to dig down through the fine print to try to figure that out, and I just don't think that's fair or right for the people who might rely on it." In contrast, device creators maintain that their products fill essential healthcare gaps and affirm their commitment to protecting user privacy.
Sylvia Kang, founder and CEO of Mira, shared her motivation for developing the egg-shaped hormone tracker, noting her personal experiences observing friends struggling to conceive without accessible hormonal health information. The device operates by dipping a wand into urine, inserting it into the monitor, and then displaying results through a dedicated app. Kang claims that utilizing AI to analyze extensive female hormone datasets offers a novel resource, with user data securely stored in the cloud and undisclosed to third parties. Her product retails at $250.
Women’s health represented a notable focus at CES, addressing a historically underrepresented field in medical research and funding. Given that women were excluded from clinical trials until 1993 and that certain areas, such as menopause, remain under-investigated, new technologies aim to close this gap. For example, a wearable device called Peri tracks symptoms related to perimenopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, and delivers processed data via an app interface.
Other showcased innovations include tools to improve healthcare accessibility. The AI-powered chatbot 0xmd provides free medical information, especially beneficial in regions with limited physician availability. It allows users to inquire about medications, upload images of skin conditions, and submit doctor notes for simplified interpretation. Allen Au, the chatbot’s founder, emphasized that the technology is intended to supplement—not replace—medical professionals by offering a secondary perspective. Additionally, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health, a comparable platform, during the event.
Despite these advancements, Cohn remains wary of consumer health technologies, recognizing their value in helping individuals formulate informed health questions but cautioning that they do not replace professional medical advice. She summarized that these AI tools are aids rather than definitive sources of medical truth.