The world's largest IT and electronics exhibition, CES 2025, will be held in Las Vegas, United States, from July 7 to 10 (local time), and the fields of digital health and neurotech (neuroscience technology) are expected to receive significant attention. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES, this year, the most innovation awards were given in the fields of digital health, artificial intelligence (AI), and sustainability, and the conference track topic for the first day was set to 'Neurotech Frontier - Exploring the Future of Brain-Machine Consolidation.'
In particular, Korean corporations and institutions are making strides in this field. According to an analysis by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) on the 10th, of the first results announced by the Consumer Technology Association for the CES 2025 Innovation Awards, 129 out of 292 award-winning corporations worldwide are Korean. Based on the products, 165 awards were received. Korean corporations accounted for a majority with 24 (53%) in the main category of digital health and 23 (53%) in the AI sector.
The CES Innovation Awards, presented by the Consumer Technology Association, recognize superior products among innovative products worldwide for their technology, aesthetics, and innovation. Over 100 judges from around the world evaluate the entries, and only products released for the first time that year can receive awards. The full list of winners will be announced on the opening day of CES on July 7. The theme for CES 2025 is 'Dive In,' with participation from 4,500 companies across 157 countries expected.
◇Neuroscience technology emerged as a keyword at CES
CES has picked neurotech as a major keyword for this year's event. Through a conference track themed 'Neurotech Frontier - Exploring the Future of Brain-Machine Consolidation,' CES noted that it will highlight cutting-edge brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies that range from wearables to implants. It also stated that it will elucidate how neurotech is achieving medical innovation in the field of neurological diseases and provide insights from startups and investors in this area.
BCI technology is the method by which the brain's nerve cells (neurons) send signals to muscles directing them to move, and a computer decodes these signals. There are approximately 86 billion nerve cells in the human brain. These nerve cells are interconnected via synapses. Each time a person moves, feels, or thinks, small electrical signals are generated and rapidly transmitted from one nerve cell to another. BCI is an interface that decodes this system and sends signals to a computer, linking the human brain with the computer.
Neuroengineers regard BCI as an innovative technology that could 'change the future of humanity.' It is particularly noted as a key to overcoming intractable brain diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which causes physical disabilities due to nerve damage. Global market research firm Statista MRC projects that the BCI market will grow from $2.3 billion (about 3.21 trillion won) this year to $8 billion (about 11.17 trillion won) by 2030.
Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, the founder of American corporation Tesla, is a leading player in the BCI space. Other challengers in this field include Synchron from the U.S., Inbrain Neuroelectronics from Spain, and domestic corporation Gbrain.
The wireless neural implant 'Phin Stim' developed by Gbrain was selected as an innovation award winner in the digital health sector at CES. Phin Stim treats Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, allowing users to control surrounding devices merely by thought. When patients exhibit abnormal symptoms, Phin Stim, which is attached to the brain's surface, provides stimulation to return them to a normal state.
CES noted, 'Phin Stim enables neuroplasticity treatment even while moving, allowing patients to maintain an active life,' stating that it presents the future of personalized neural therapy and solidifies Gbrain's position as a leader in the neurotechnology field.
◇Highlighting healthcare innovation through AI
Among the list of innovation award recipients are numerous domestic healthcare startups and universities incorporating AI technology. Notable entities include Aesleep, Prevenotics, PT Rob, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Hanyang University, among 22 corporations and universities.
Aesleep, which developed an AI service that measures breathing sounds during sleep to diagnose and track sleep status, won an innovation award in the AI and digital health sector at CES 2025. Founded in 2020 by six individuals who met in a KAIST lab, including CEO Dong-Heon Lee and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Jun-Gi Hong, the company created 'SleepBot,' an AI analysis solution that automatically measures sleep stages and disorders in homes and hospitals. Unlike other products developed in wearable formats like watches or rings, it uses a non-contact method, analyzing sleep stages in real time and controlling personalized sleep environments to improve sleep quality. According to the company, the diagnostic accuracy reaches 94% of that of hospital tests.
Prevenotics received an innovation award in the human security sector for its AI stomach cancer prevention solution, 'Prevenotics-G Pro.' This product has gained approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and is being utilized in actual medical settings in hospitals like Eunseong Medical Foundation's Good Culture Hospital, National Medical Center, and Seoul National University Hospital. Prevenotics was founded in 2021 by CEO Su-Yeon Jang, who previously worked at Sanofi in business development and efficiency, and Dr. Joon-Woo Lee, an industrial imaging AI expert from LG Electronics.
There are cases where organizations resembling the stomach develop. This is called intestinal metaplasia. When epithelial tissue undergoes this degeneration (metaplasia), there is a higher risk of developing stomach cancer. The company has developed AI software that diagnoses intestinal metaplasia using only endoscopic images. CEO Su-Yeon Jang noted, 'The visual diagnostic accuracy of intestinal metaplasia, which is a precancerous stage, is around 50%, whereas the diagnostic accuracy of Prevenotics for intestinal metaplasia is between 85% to 90%. We are continuing to enhance the product and accelerating our efforts to enter both domestic and international markets in various ways.'