CES 2021

CES is churning out lots of anti-COVID gadgets

It's no surprise that a lot of hardware is focusing in on tackling COVID-19.

Last year's CES may have acted as a launching point for the ongoing COVID-19 catastrophe in the U.S., but this year's CES is all about preventing it.

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Tech companies are offering up their solutions (as much as any exist) to the unique challenges of COVID-19 through several different products, like....

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Smart face masks

Smart masks have been cropping up for some time now, though CES just happened to be the perfect place (or, I guess time) to show them off.

Pictured: An air-purifying face mask from LG.

Take, for example, this offering –the AirPop Active+ – from a company called AirPop that monitors air quality and notifies users when they have to replace their filters via mobile app. The company will release the mask this month, though, with a pretty hefty price tag.

AirPop

$150

The AirPop Active+ will run you $150.

There's also this offering from Razer, called Project Hazel, which comes with a built-in voice amplifier and RGBs. I suppose if you're going to go full-on cyberpunk dystopia, you might as well add a pop of color.

Razer

Razer

There's also lots of ultraviolet lights...

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Ultraviolet lights are a pretty cheap and efficient way of killing surface bacteria, which is probably why they're starting to find their way into lots of different products like...

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This UV lamp for your keyboard

This UV light from Targus was unveiled at CES and is designed to sit above your keyboard and mouse. According to the company, the light will kill 99.9 percent of viruses by shining onto your equipment for five minutes every hour. (No pricing is available).

Targus

If keyboards aren't of concern, this two-in-one UV chamber and wireless charger from Lexon may be what you're looking for. This gadget, called the Oblio is a Qi-certified charger than can juice up a typical smartphone in about three hours while also sanitizing one side at a time in about 20 minutes. Looks like you'll have to actually flip your phone for virus-killing perfection.

Lexon

$80

The Oblio is retailing at $79.99 and comes in several different colors.

Lamps and chambers not enough UV for you?

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Then call in the big guns...

Products like this UV-equipped robot from a company called Unpin will join a growing army of robots designed to scoot around and call surface viruses. According to the company, it can cover 1000 square meters in about 100 minutes and automatically shuts down the light once a human is detected.

Unpin

According to Unpin, this bot is already being used in China to help sanitize airports in Beijing and Guangzhou while also monitoring travelers' body temperatures.

Some products are getting more intimate to fight coronavirus...

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This little patch, dubbed the BioButton is made by a company called BioIntelliSense and is purportedly used to help catch the early signs of COVID-19.

BioIntelliSense

The sticker, which is adhered to the upper left part of the wearer's chest, is about the size of a quarter and monitors biometrics like heart and respiratory rate as well as temperature in an effort to detect signs of COVID-19. It's also FDA-cleared.

These are just a few of the products centered on helping stymie the spread of COVID-19 and given the way things are going, we can probably expect to see a lot more in this vein. Until then, we'll cross our fingers for a smart mask-free CES 2022.

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