CES 2026 Digital Health: The Complete Intelligence Report

The most significant story from CES 2026 isn't a gadget—it's the FDA's dramatic deregulation of AI health tools. Commissioner Marty Makary's January 6 announcement exempts most wellness AI and clinical decision support software from premarket review, fundamentally reshaping the digital health landscape. Meanwhile, enterprise health AI moved from pilot programs to hospital-wide deployments, a non-invasive glucose monitoring arms race intensified, and voice biomarkers emerged as the next frontier in ambient health sensing.

CES 2026 in Las Vegas made clear that healthcare technology is now a central pillar of the show. Spanning consumer wellness gadgets to clinical-grade innovations, the event spotlighted how tech is reshaping health and medicine. Key themes included AI-driven health insights, next-gen wearables and home health devices, women's health and longevity tech, mental wellness innovations, assistive and rehabilitation tools, and enterprise medtech solutions.

This report synthesizes major announcements, product launches, strategic partnerships, and under-the-radar breakthroughs—followed by implications for digital health and care delivery.

Regulatory Earthquake: FDA Deregulates Wellness AI

The most consequential CES 2026 announcement received surprisingly muted coverage. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary delivered a keynote announcing sweeping deregulation of digital health products. Clinical decision support software delivering single recommendations no longer requires FDA review. The 2019 "General Wellness: Policy for Low Risk Devices" guidance was expanded to exempt more wearables from premarket review.

"We want to let companies know, with very clear guidance, that if their device or software is simply providing information, they can do that without FDA regulation," Makary stated. "If they're not making claims that they are medical grade, let's let the market decide." He emphasized the FDA needs to move "at Silicon Valley speed."

HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill reinforced this direction at the Innovation Policy Summit: "Safety is important, but if I had to pick, I think faster is better." He announced deployment of LLMs to all 65,000 HHS employees and discussed the CMS ACCESS model for digital health reimbursement.

Market reactions were modest but positive—Dexcom, Abbott, and Medtronic shares rose slightly, with Garmin gaining approximately 3%. Privacy experts voiced concerns. Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that HIPAA doesn't cover consumer device data: "Companies may use data to train AI models or sell to third parties."

AI-Powered Health Monitoring and Predictive Wellness

AI health scanners and predictive apps took center stage at CES 2026. The table below summarizes the major AI health monitoring announcements:

The NuraLogix Longevity Mirror analyzes a 30-second selfie video to gauge metabolic and cardiac health and estimate "physiological age." The computer vision algorithm detects subtle facial blood flow patterns and scores metrics like heart health and metabolic efficiency on a 0-100 scale. Results are delivered with plain-language explanations and personalized recommendations in under half a minute. The device supports multiple user profiles.

Samsung previewed a Brain Health feature for Galaxy wearables aimed at early detection of cognitive decline. By analyzing everyday behaviors—walking gait, voice patterns, typing, and sleep quality—the system looks for subtle deviations associated with early dementia research. While not a diagnostic tool, it alerts families to potential issues so they can seek medical evaluation sooner. Samsung demonstrated how Galaxy watches and the new Galaxy Ring can serve as a hub for "Intelligent Care," from tracking sleep and coordinating lights/temperature for better rest to monitoring older adults for changes in routine.

Abbott's Libre Assist is a generative AI-driven feature that helps people with diabetes (or anyone tracking glucose) predict how different foods will affect their blood sugar. The AI "meal planning" assistant can flag meals likely to cause glucose spikes and suggest alternatives or mitigations in advance. This exemplifies a broader trend of AI moving from hype to practical use in wellness tech—predictive algorithms working behind the scenes to guide everyday decisions.

Clinical and Diagnostic AI Breaks Through

The most important health AI story at CES 2026 wasn't consumer wearables—it was clinical-grade diagnostic AI reaching deployment scale.

Noul's miLab CER, a South Korean cervical cancer diagnostic system, automates the entire screening process in 20 minutes with 93.9% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity, comparable to expert pathologists. The compact device replaces approximately 25 manual preparation steps and targets the WHO's 2030 goal of 70% global cervical screening coverage.

Perimeter Medical Imaging AI announced a systemwide agreement with Intermountain Health to deploy its S-Series OCT imaging system across 34 hospitals and 400 clinics. The FDA-cleared device provides surgeons with real-time, cellular-level visualization during breast cancer surgery at 10X the resolution of X-ray. The company's investigational ImgAssist AI received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and a $7.4 million grant for pivotal trials showing statistically significant reduction in patients with residual cancer after surgery.

Oracle Health unveiled its AI-native electronic health record system featuring voice-first interaction and clinical AI agents that "dynamically surface critical insights and queue suggested actions." Oracle's partnership with OpenAI will power a patient portal that translates medical records into plain language—no diagnosis recommendations, no personal data stored by OpenAI.

OTITON's Doctor in House earned back-to-back CES Innovation Awards for its ENT diagnostic AI trained on 55,000+ clinical cases from Korean university hospitals. The system identifies seven ear, nose, and throat conditions using a medical-grade endoscope and infrared thermometer, enabling home-based preliminary diagnosis.

Advanced Wearables and Personal Health Ecosystems

CES 2026 showcased next-generation wearables and a push toward integrated health ecosystems. Smartwatches and fitness trackers continued to evolve from simple step-counters into medical-grade monitors.

Garmin's Venu 4 smartwatch earned an Innovation Award Honoree for adding a Health Status dashboard that highlights when metrics like heart-rate variability, respiration, or oxygen saturation deviate from one's baseline. Garmin emphasized long-term trends over single data points, aligning with a theme of preventive health monitoring. The Venu 4 can run up to 12 days on a charge.

Smart rings and patches also gained traction. Ultrahuman demonstrated how their wearable ecosystem can integrate sleep, glucose, and women's cycle tracking to provide a 360° view of wellness—highlighting the shift toward holistic metabolic health platforms.

A notable partnership underscored the ecosystem approach: Withings announced it will integrate Abbott's Lingo biowearable sensor into the Withings app. Starting Q1 2026, users will see real-time glucose trends in Withings' health app and can purchase Lingo sensors through Withings' platform. This mirrors collaborations like the Oura Ring linking with Dexcom CGMs, highlighting how device makers are teaming up to merge data streams for more holistic personal health insights.

Withings BodyScan 2 is a "smart scale" elevated to a home health station. This scale can measure over 60 metrics—from ECG readings and arterial stiffness to segmental body composition—in about 90 seconds. It shifts focus from weight alone to cardiovascular and metabolic signals, assessing hypertension risk and "metabolic efficiency" to flag early warning signs. The BodyScan 2 is designed as a longevity-oriented device, meant to be used a few times per week so users can track trends like "heart age" and arterial health over time.

Phonak's Audéo Infinio Ultra hearing aid features a dedicated on-device AI chip (DEEPSONIC processor) that performs real-time sound scene analysis using machine learning to isolate speech from background noise instantaneously.

The Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring Arms Race

While Abbott showcased its AI-powered Libre Assist feature, three companies launched serious challenges to the continuous glucose monitoring paradigm:

Sensura, a Singapore-based startup, debuted a hyperspectral sensing platform in both handheld and wearable form factors—no finger pricks, no implanted sensors. The company presented at both CES and the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

PreEvnt announced human clinical trials for its breath-based glucose alert system targeting Type 2 diabetics who don't use insulin. The isaac System tracks patterns and sends emergency contact alerts, pursuing FDA pre-submission with a late 2026 launch target.

This competitive pressure prompted Abbott and Dexcom to emphasize AI integration over hardware. Dexcom CEO Jake Leach appeared alongside Oura CEO Tom Hale on a panel titled "Always On: How Continuous Health Data is Transforming Care," highlighting their platform integration that bridges glucose data with sleep and recovery metrics.

Strategic Partnerships Reshape the Health AI Ecosystem

Samsung's acquisition of Xealth (~$115 million, completed October 2025) positions the company as Apple's primary competitor in clinical wearable integration. Xealth's platform, embedded in EHRs at 500+ U.S. hospitals including Advocate Health and Banner Health, allows physicians to prescribe and manage digital health apps directly through clinical workflows. Samsung showcased this integration with its "Care Companion" and "Intelligent Care" vision.

Amazon's Alexa+ integration with Oura Ring brings health wearable data into voice-first environments. Users can now access daily sleep, recovery, and wellness insights through voice commands, with Alexa+ automatically adjusting lights, music, and temperature based on Oura data.

NVIDIA and Siemens expanded their partnership to build what they call the "Industrial AI Operating System." For healthcare, Siemens' Dotmatics Luma platform can unify billions of data points across instruments and labs for AI-driven drug discovery. The companies claim this approach could help therapies reach patients up to 50% faster at lower cost. NVIDIA also released its Clara platform with 455,000 synthetic protein structures through GitHub and Hugging Face for protein design, drug synthesis planning, and RNA structure prediction.

Smart Home Health Gadgets and Wellness Tech

A striking theme this year was the extension of health monitoring into everyday household devices—often with a dose of creativity.

Smart Toilets and Bathroom Analytics

The Vovo Smart Toilet "Neo" integrates a built-in urine analysis sensor in the bowl. Each time the user uses the toilet, it can analyze the urine for health indicators and display results on a wall-mounted screen. The system includes an AI named "Jindo the Dog" that alerts family if the toilet hasn't been used in over 12 hours—a potential sign of trouble for a senior living alone.

Vivoo's clip-on Smart Toilet device can retrofit any standard toilet. Using an optical sensor (no strips needed), it measures urine concentration to track hydration levels. Vivoo touts that its device can last over 1,000 flushes on one charge. Wired noted that tracking one's pee might be the newest wellness obsession.

Y-Brush's Halo smart toothbrush contains gas sensors to analyze breath for health diagnostics. The AI "SmartNose" can detect volatile organic compounds linked to over 300 conditions from diabetes to liver disease.

Beauty and Environmental Wellness

L'Oréal unveiled an LED facial mask claimed to be the world's thinnest, flexible enough to hug the skin and target areas like under the eyes. Using dermatologist-recommended wavelengths of red and near-infrared light, the mask aims to reduce wrinkles and improve skin tone with 10-minute daily sessions.

Sunbooster clips to your laptop or monitor and bathes you in near-infrared light as you work, substituting wellness benefits of natural sunlight for those who spend much of the day indoors. The patented LEDs emit infrared light to boost mood, energy, and skin health without UV exposure. Uniquely, it logs your "dose" and encourages 2-4 hours of use during screen time. Backed by university studies in the Netherlands, the device targets the large demographic of office workers who may suffer effects of insufficient sunlight.

Allergen Alert is a pocket-sized lab targeting the 70+ million people with food allergies or intolerances. The handheld device can detect common allergens like lactose or gluten within minutes using a disposable test pouch. Built on technology from diagnostics company bioMérieux, it's FDA-approved and being trialed by Michelin-starred chefs to prevent cross-contamination. The device essentially miniaturizes a laboratory-grade assay into a portable gadget, restoring confidence to diners with allergies so they can test meals anywhere and avoid dangerous reactions.

Women's Health and Longevity Tech

CES 2026 devoted significant attention to femtech and longevity.

The Vivoo FlowPad has built-in microfluidic sensors that measure hormone levels (specifically follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH) in menstrual fluid. By directly sampling biomarkers in real time, this pad can help women track fertility, ovulation, and flag hormonal imbalances or infections without a separate test. After use, the pad is scanned with a smartphone app to upload the data.

Women's health was clearly a focus at CES 2026, with dedicated conference tracks on topics like maternal care, fertility, and menopause, as well as startups pitching solutions from smart breast pumps to menopause wearables—building on momentum from prior years.

Amorepacific presented Skinsight electronic skin co-developed with MIT that analyzes real-time skin-aging signals to predict aging patterns.

The Longevity Megatrend

In his opening keynote, CTA's Brian Comiskey identified "the trend of longevity" as a defining megatrend of 2026, fueled by breakthroughs in weight management drugs and personalized medicine. With obesity treatments like GLP-1 agonist drugs surging in popularity (an estimated 12-18% of U.S. adults had tried GLP-1 medications by late 2025), tech companies see opportunities in the "GLP-1 ecosystem."

Mental Health, Relaxation, and Emotional Wellbeing

Technology for mental and emotional health made a thoughtful showing at CES 2026.

The Reconcept mental health pod tilts the user into a zero-gravity reclined position, plays soothing nature sounds (like bird song), and delivers a gentle massage. The zero-gravity posture helps reduce muscular tension and may even aid gut health through relaxation of the abdominal area. It's being trialed by organizations ranging from sports teams to corporations combating employee burnout.

Home Therapy Booth 2.0 features a one-person wellness booth equipped with an AI "mental coach." Users step in for a private guided session that senses their stress levels (via voice and biometrics) and responds with tailored breathing exercises, meditation guidance, or calming light/sound therapy.

An'An is a biomimetic AI-powered panda cub robot designed to provide emotional support and companionship. Using affective computing and tactile sensors to respond to hugs and touch, it's pitched as a therapeutic tool for seniors facing loneliness or children with autism—a robot pet that can respond to emotions without the unpredictability of a live animal.

VR Therapy and AI Counseling

On the software side, there was significant buzz around AI-driven counseling and mental health analytics. Several startups in Eureka Park demonstrated chatbots and VR programs for therapy. VR experiences aimed at PTSD and phobia treatment use controlled virtual environments to help patients gradually face their triggers—a continuation of a trend from recent years. With generative AI's leap forward, at least one company claimed to offer an AI therapist trained on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, available 24/7 through your phone. While these remain controversial and are no replacement for human therapists, their presence at CES signals the ongoing effort to close the mental health care gap with digital tools.

Samsung's C-Lab presented Stress Solution, which creates personalized soundscapes for mental health support based on individual stress profiles.

Voice Biomarkers: The Emerging Frontier

AI can now identify moderate-to-severe depression from 25 seconds of speech with 70%+ accuracy by analyzing pitch, jitter, shimmer, and speech rate.

Canary Speech outlined five 2026 trends for vocal biomarker technology, emphasizing its integration into routine healthcare workflows.

Sleep Tech Innovation

Sleep technology moved from passive tracking to active intervention:

Stareep's SmartSleep Ecosystem is "the world's first AI-powered mattress system that actively intervenes during sleep" with real-time pressure mapping, breathing-responsive support, and AI-driven firmness adjustments.

Earable Neuroscience's FRENZ Brainband combines consumer EEG with AI-powered audio therapy for sleep and cognitive performance. The company joined the National Sleep Foundation's SleepTech Network.

Sleepal AI Lamp uses millimeter-wave radar, thermal, and acoustic sensing to track multiple sleepers without body contact.

Assistive Tech, Rehabilitation and Aging-in-Place

CES 2026 featured a range of assistive and rehabilitative technologies for an aging global population.

The Ascentiz H1 Pro walking exoskeleton uses AI-adaptive motors to augment the user's leg movements, providing just enough boost for walking on inclines or uneven ground without overbearing force. Its modular, belt-based design keeps the device streamlined—users can wear it relatively comfortably under clothing, and it's robust enough (dust- and water-resistant) for outdoor use. By offering varying levels of power assist—and even specialized knee or hip modules for those who need extra support—Ascentiz signaled that exoskeletons are moving from the rehab clinic to everyday life. These devices could help not only individuals with paralysis or muscle weakness, but also healthy people who need to walk long distances or stand for extended periods, easing strain and reducing injury risk.

Cosmo Robotics' Bambini Kids is the first over-ground pediatric exoskeleton with powered ankles, aimed at children ages ~2½ to 7 with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy. It won a CES Innovation Award. The device allows children to practice walking in a natural setting, using both active modes (where the exoskeleton moves their legs in a walking pattern) and passive modes that encourage the child to initiate movement with support. The goal is to accelerate motor learning and reduce complications from limited mobility early in life. Attendees noted how lightweight and approachable the device was—decorated with friendly colors—making the therapeutic tech less intimidating to kids.

.Lumen (Romania) showcased AI wearable glasses for blind users featuring six cameras, infrared lasers, and NVIDIA GPU for navigation without canes, guide dogs, or audio cues.

Smart Mobility and Fall Prevention

For mobility assistance, CES featured smart canes and fall-detection sensors geared toward seniors living independently, often connected to apps that alert caregivers if something seems amiss. These devices represent the growing "aging-in-place" technology category that allows older adults to maintain independence while providing safety nets for families.

Telehealth and Remote Diagnostics

Telehealth and remote care devices enabling patients to capture clinical-grade data at home were prominent throughout the show floor:

These devices align with the trend of care moving out of the clinic and into the home. The inclusion of environmental health monitors—including air quality sensors and wildfire alert systems—reflects an expanded definition of digital health that encompasses the environmental factors affecting wellness.

AgeTech and Dementia Care

The AARP AgeTech Collaborative showcased 22 startups (nearly one-third AI-focused) with sessions on "AI and Aging: Designing for Longevity and Personalization" featuring Microsoft AI's Dominic King.

Wonderful Platform unveiled Avadin, described as the world's first "Physical AI Care Operating System" for senior and dementia care. Its CareTwin engine models memory, behavioral patterns, emotional states, and safety risks, integrating AI robotics, digital twin intelligence, and VR/AR cognitive programs. The company is targeting partnerships with UnitedHealth, Humana, Aetna/CVS, and the VA.

Bathroom Tech Crosses Into Eldercare

Even bathroom technology has crossed into the aging-in-place market. One rationale for Vovo's $5,000 AI toilet is eldercare: by monitoring bathroom habits and hydration, it can help seniors manage chronic conditions and catch UTIs or dehydration early. The toilet's ability to alert family after 12 hours of non-use effectively turns it into a guardian device for those who might be unable to call for help—an unconventional approach that exemplifies the thinking that any home appliance can be reimagined for safety and health monitoring.

Enterprise Health Tech and Digital Medicine

CES 2026 saw increased participation from medtech and healthcare companies, blurring the line between consumer wellness and clinical tech.

Abbott showcased biowearables like its Freestyle Libre CGMs and Lingo sensors, AI-driven heart monitors, and next-gen rapid diagnostic tools. The company hosted panel discussions (featuring tennis legend Serena Williams alongside Abbott's medical device chief) touting the "power of biowearables" and the coming "sensor revolution" in precision medicine. The clear message was that major healthcare firms see CES as an avenue to promote a future where everyday consumer devices play a role in disease management and prevention—effectively empowering patients as "CEOs of their own health," in line with CTA's Brian Comiskey's keynote remarks.

Insulet made its CES debut with an "immersive" demo of Omnipod 5, framing it not as a medical device per se, but as "liveable technology" for automated diabetes management. By emphasizing human-centered design—smartphone control, tubeless patch pump—and how the system quietly manages blood sugar in the background, the company aimed to position diabetes tech as another smart home gadget category. This reflects a broader move of clinical-grade devices entering the consumer realm with appropriate regulatory clearances. Industry insiders noted that an "Omnipod 6" with adaptive AI dosing is on the horizon, further automating insulin delivery.

WONTECH introduced PETRA & LIME, a contactless vital-sign monitoring system using cameras to measure patients' heart rate, respiration and other signals from a distance—born from pandemic lessons and enhancing infection control and workflow efficiency. They also showed ELLISE, a laser + electrical stimulation platform for non-invasive pain therapy. By inserting hair-thin optical fiber under the skin to target deep tissue with dual-wavelength lasers while electrically stimulating nerves, it seeks to relieve chronic pain without drugs or surgery. These are clearly enterprise-level innovations—the kind of equipment you'd expect at medical conferences—yet their presence at CES underscores the convergence of health tech with mainstream electronics.

CES Innovation Award Winners: Digital Health

Naqi Logix won Best of Innovation for neural interface earbuds enabling hands-free, voice-free device control through facial gestures and brainwaves—a non-invasive alternative to brain implants.

Earflo Inc. debuted the first non-invasive treatment device for negative middle ear pressure causing ear infections in children as young as two years old.

NeuroTx (Seoul) presented WillSleep, a non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation device with clinical results showing 82% improvement in sleep quality and 80% reduction in insomnia symptoms.

Korean companies dominated the awards: 168 of 284 CES Innovation Awards went to Korean firms, with 81% being SMEs.

International Exhibitors Worth Watching

Emerging Themes: What to Watch

Consumer EEG Goes Mainstream

Industry analysts positioned 2026 as "the year brainwaves join biosignal tracking."

Embedded Health Testing in Everyday Products

From Tracking to Active Intervention

The most innovative products no longer just collect data—they actively modify the user's environment, sleep surface, or daily routines in real-time based on AI analysis. This moves health tech from passive monitoring toward automated care.

Consumer-to-Clinical Integration

Samsung's Xealth acquisition, Withings' Abbott partnership, and Oracle's AI-native EHR demonstrate that wearable data is flowing into clinical workflows at scale. The wellness-to-medical continuum is collapsing.

Reduced Regulatory Friction

The FDA's deregulation signals a fundamental policy shift. The 2026 competitive landscape will be determined less by regulatory clearances and more by data quality, AI accuracy, and ecosystem integration.

Implications for Digital Health in 2026

Key Takeaways

CES 2026 delivered a comprehensive snapshot of digital health's rapid evolution. Health tech is becoming more practical and personal—gone are purely gimmicky wellness gadgets; instead, many products focused on integrating seamlessly into daily life and catching problems early.

The lines between consumer wellness and clinical care continue to blur. Big-name healthcare companies (Abbott, Medtronic, Oracle) now share the stage with startups, indicating that digital health is a mainstream consumer priority. Devices like CGMs, once reserved for diabetics, are being repurposed for everyday fitness and nutrition tracking.

Many innovations aimed to detect issues—cognitive decline, arrhythmias, dehydration, allergic exposure—before they become crises. Personalization was evident too: AI tailoring device behavior to individual baselines, whether in a hearing aid isolating your conversational partner's voice or a mirror giving health advice tuned to your profile.

CES 2026 highlighted an expanding definition of "digital health." It's not just fitness trackers and health apps anymore. It's aging-in-place tech, mental health support, women's health, environmental health (air quality, wildfire alerts), and beyond. The holistic approach to health—encompassing physical, mental, and even community well-being—was on display.

The challenge and opportunity ahead will be turning this abundance of new data and devices into better health outcomes—a task that will engage patients, providers, and technologists alike as digital health cements its role in 2026's healthcare landscape.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or financial adviser. The content in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or medical advice. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions based on this information.