6 Innovative Products at CES That Aim to Tackle Ageing Needs

The world's largest tech expo has always been about flashy new devices promising to make life better, but CES 2025 has seen more companies attempt to tackle a global challenge: ageing.

- Lim Yan Liang

"Age tech" was on full display during the four-day consumer electronics and tech show, from Jan 7 to 10, as companies looked to address challenges related to mobility, vision and hearing loss and diet constraints that come with getting older.

This is as spending on tech among those aged 50 and above is likely to hit US$120 billion (S$164.6 billion) by 2030 in the US market alone, said the AARP, an interest group devoted to retirees in the US.

It put forth research on Jan 8 that showed that four in five Americans who are 50 or older report owning at least one device that it categorises as age tech, which includes things like digital blood pressure monitors.

CES show director John T. Kelley told The Straits Times that the rising demand for such devices comes as the generation now entering retirement grew up around smart devices and the internet.

"So they understand the basics of technology and how to use it, and will seek out products and services that really speak to their needs," he said.

ST walked the show floor to highlight six innovative products aiming to help people age more gracefully.

ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR WITH CO-PILOT

Using technology pioneered in autonomous cars, Singapore start-up Strutt has created an electric wheelchair that knows how to get users to their destination with just a push of its joystick in the general direction.

Through a combination of light detection and ranging (Lidar) and other sensors, and the company's own algorithms, the ev1 wheelchair automatically detects obstacles - including people or pets entering its path - and prevents collisions, finding a new route if necessary.

Users who want more control can opt for another mode where collision avoidance is still active, but the wheelchair does not plot a course for them. There is also a fully manual mode without any drive assistance.