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Fitbit's founders have a new startup. Two years after leaving Google, James Park and Eric Friedman announced a new platform that shifts the focus from the individual to the family. They say the Luffu mobile app "uses AI quietly in the background" to collect and organize family health information.
"At Fitbit, we focused on personal health � but after Fitbit, health for me became bigger than just thinking about myself," Park said in a press release. The app is particularly focused on the "CEO of the family" � the person who manages appointments, prescriptions and other health-related tasks.
But the definition of family isn't limited to parents raising children. The company sees its tool as especially valuable for caregivers in their 40s and 50s who may be managing the needs of both aging parents and kids. It even tracks pets' health habits.
"We're managing care across three generations � kids at home, busy parents in the middle, and my dad in his 80s who's living with diabetes and still wants to stay fiercely independent," Friedman wrote. "And the moments that matter most are often the most chaotic: a late-night fever, a sudden urgent care visit, a doctor asking questions you can't answer quickly because the details are scattered."
The app's AI includes a Morning Brief that recaps everyone's health.Luffu
The company claims the app's AI "isn't a chatbot layer." Rather, it serves as a "guardian" � proactively monitoring for changes silently in the background. The AI then provides insights and triggers alerts when something is out of whack. You can also ask the app health data questions using plain language (so, there is some kind of chatbot) and share data with family members.
The company clearly wants to make entering data as easy as possible. Luffu allows family members to log info using voice, text or photos. It integrates with health platforms such as Apple Health and Fitbit. And the company eventually wants to expand into a hardware ecosystem � presumably, devices that make health data collection even easier.
Speaking of data collection, Luffu says, "Users are always in control of exactly what is shared, with whom, and privacy and security are paramount for all family data." In addition, the company told Axios that users can choose whether their data is used to train its AI. On the other hand, Big Tech has repeatedly shown that its most egregious data-collection practices are always wrapped in comforting language. So, at the very least, I'd take their pitch with grains of salt and, most importantly, make sure each family member knows exactly what they're consenting to. After all, this is a for-profit company, and we don�t yet know its monetization strategy.
Luffu is currently in a limited public beta. You can learn more and sign up for the waitlist on the company website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/fitbit-founders-launch-luffu-a-way-to-integrate-your-familys-health-data-173251994.html?src=rss
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The Dyson PencilVac stick vacuum is finally available for purchase in the US after being revealed
. It costs $600. The company says this is the "world's slimmest vacuum cleaner." We haven't broken out any rulers to confirm that statement, but it's certainly a ridiculously thin stick vac.
It achieves this thinness by using a motor inspired by the company's
. This is a small motor that can actually rest in the shaft, so there's not a noticeable bulge where the components have been placed. This stick vacuum is actually, well, a stick. Just take a look at it.
A vacuum being emptied. Dyson
It does come with attachments that increase the size a bit. For instance, the conical brush bar cleaner head makes it resemble a traditional stick vacuum. However, everything else is in the long cylinder. This includes the bin, filter and motor.
Other attachments include something called the "Fluffycones" cleaner head. This has four cones in two brush bars that rotate in opposite directions to "strip and eject even long hair, preventing hair tangling around the brush bar." There are also lights at both ends to help illuminate any lingering dust particles.
A cleaning head. Dyson
It weighs nearly four pounds and features the same diameter throughout. This makes it easy to grip anywhere along the body, which can help with overhead cleaning. It ships with a swappable battery pack that lasts for around an hour and there's a magnetic charging dock to get things juiced up.
The vacuum works with the MyDyson app, which lets users check on battery life and adjust settings. Some of this information is also displayed on the LCD screen at the top of the handle.
We got a chance to try it out last year and came away impressed. The motor is plenty powerful, despite the diminished size, and the device was easy to maneuver. If you have $600 to spare and a dirty home, this could be a good purchase.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-dyson-pencilvac-is-finally-available-and-costs-600-160059016.html?src=rss
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WATCH: Karin Smyth unveils new Labour plans to cover travel costs for children with cancer
February 02 | 2026
Health Minister Karin Smyth MP unveils new Government plans to cover the travel cost of treatment for children with cancer.Speaking to GB News, Ms Smyth said: "This is really the central ask of children and their families who are diagnosed and being treated for cancer. I met some people involved in the campaign at Downing Street last night,they've been talking about this campaign for 20 years as part of our national cancer plan. "The problem for them was that travelling is one of those additional worries on top of the already shocking diagnosis when you have a child with with cancer, about 9,500 families are affected by this, and help with those travel costs mean that some people have told us that they are making real, difficult choices about other support to their families, including good food and support to their families, so making sure that those travel costs are covered takes a little bit of the worry off of families at that particularly troubling time."WATCH ABOVE.
WATCH: Tory frontbencher apologises to Rhiannon Whyte's mother for receiving no support from MPs
February 02 | 2026
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart has issued an apology to Rhiannon Whyte's mother Siobhan after receiving no support or contact from MPs.Speaking to GB News, Mr Burghart said: "I'm very sorry to hear that, I will go and talk to the team about that once I get off air."I can only just send her my deepest condolences for what's what's happened to her family. It must be incredibly difficult."WATCH ABOVE.