Home health trackers are currently most or less limited to recording your activity level and tracking your weight. A device called Cue is changing the game by taking actual biological measurements using biofluids like blood or saliva. The Cue’s microfluidic system and bio-sensors can give you a much more complete picture of your overall health than any other health tracker.

Cue tracks five different aspects of your body’s health: inflammation, influenza, testosterone, fertility, and Vitamin D. There are separate cartridges for each health metric; you place a biological sample on a Sample Wand and insert it into the appropriate cartridge, which is enclosed in the larger Bluetooth-enabled Cue box.

The box analyzes the sample and sends the results straight to the Cue smartphone app. The app tracks changes in the health metrics over time, giving you a clear picture of whether you are getting enough Vitamin D, telling you when you’re ovulating, or helping you figure out whether you have a cold or the flu.

You can test yourself as often as you want, which will no doubt be a huge help to some people who previously only had access to these tests through expensive doctor visits. Of course, the Cue involves a substantial initial investment: it is available at a pre-launch price of $199. That price will go up to $300 when it launches in Spring 2015. Additional Sample Wands, cartridges, and a carrying case will also be available post-launch.

The post Use Bodily Fluids to Track Your Health Metrics At Home first appeared on Gajitz.

If you’ve ever gotten a cut on a knuckle, knee or ankle, you know how hard it can be to find just the right bandage to protect your boo-boo. You can buy the enormous variety packs, but after you’ve used up all of the most common sizes you’re left with a pile of those tiny square ones that no one ever needs. The designers at EVENdesign think they’ve come up with the perfect solution: a printer that spits out only the perfect bandage for your particular wound, only when you need it.

The designers attached the Band-Aid brand name to their concept, calling it the Band-Aid Printer, but there is no reason this idea couldn’t be picked up by a different company. It works kind of like a small, simple 3D printer in that the pieces of bandage are produced only when needed and to the user’s specifications. According to the designers, who won a Reddot Design Award for the concept, the user can adjust the skin tone of the bandages – thus taking care of another nagging issue which has always plagued users of packaged bandages.

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Believe it or not, dehydration can lead to a number of other medical problems, particularly if you happen to be pregnant or elderly. Drinking adequate amounts of clean water helps flush infections and waste from the body, keeps the kidneys functioning normally and even helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. Even though the “8 glasses a day” standard is now said to be outdated, most of us still find it difficult to get enough fluids every single day.

The W+Plus system is both a hydration monitor and a reminder system that lets you know when it’s time to take a few more sips. There are two pieces to the system: the ring which goes on your finger and the cube which houses the “brains” of the system and charges the ring. You indicate to the cube which profile fits your situation: senior, child, pregnant or adult. From there, it tells you how hydrated you should be and how often you need to drink.

The user can set the reminder intervals to anywhere between 1.5 and 3 hours, and if you choose to ignore the reminders the ring will do its best to annoy you into taking a drink of water. It will flash messages about your health and your decreasing hydration level until you reach for that bottle of Evian.

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All you need for a bright and healthy smile could be this toothbrush and a dose of sunshine. Dr. Kunio Komiyama of the Mechanical University of Saskatchewan first came up with the idea for a solar-powered plaque fighter some 15 years ago, but it’s only now that the concept is being tested – with a brand new version of the invention. But far from being just a regular mechanical toothbrush that happens to be powered by the sun, this unique gadget actually uses solar power to cause a helpful chemical reaction in the mouth. According to Dr. Komiyama, the Soladey-J3X can get the mouth much cleaner than a regular toothbrush.

It works with a solar panel sticking out of the bottom of the brush. The toothbrush requires about as much sunlight as a solar calculator. After grabbing some rays, the toothbrush releases electrons, which react with saliva in the mouth, breaking down plaque and killing bacteria, leaving your mouth super-clean – all without toothpaste. Human trials are going on right now, so now might be a good time to sell all of those shares in toothpaste companies you’ve been hoarding.

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