The Conversation (0)
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
Keep reading...
Show less
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
Keep reading...
Show less
WATCH: 'Britain's top tradesman' tells GB News why he's LEAVING the country
February 02 | 2026
"Britain's top tradesman" has revealed to GB News exactly why he is leaving the UK.Builder Martin Daly, 30, from Motherwell, was named Screwfix's Top Tradesperson of the Year for inspiring young people to enter the trade - but he is now ditching Scotland for Switzerland."I'm not going there just to get more money," he told Patrick Christys on Monday."It's more just for a better quality of life - to wake up, know that your Government is looking after you."But he also offered a damning assessment of the options on offer to up-and-coming tradespeople in the UK.In Britain, Mr Daly said, "no one can afford to take young people on". "I've had a few apprentices spread their wings. A few have gone to Australia, some have went out on their own," he said. "It's not that the younger generation don't want to get into the trades, but there's just not enough career paths and routes for them to go down."WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE FOR MORE
In today's daily reflection we celebrate Candlemas, when Jesus, still a baby, was presented in the Temple at Jerusalem. "In that story, Mary and Joseph with Jesus met an older, prayerful man named Simeon. "As Simeon held Jesus, he prayed these words, Lord, as you have promised. Now dismiss your servant in peace."