Latest CES gadget ‘Belty’ measures your wasteline

A DRESS belt that expands and a shoe accessory that speeds up walking were among gadgets unveiled in Las Vegas.

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A DRESS belt that expands and says you’re putting on weight; cycling peddles that record travel data, hi-tech plant pots, and a shoe accessory that speeds up walking were among new gadgets unveiled in Las Vegas.

Yesterday the world’s biggest consumer technology show began in earnest with companies from around the globe revealing dozens of new gadgets that show off cutting edge technologies and brilliant new ideas. The event — CES Unveiled- is one of the iconic events at CES.

This year several French start-ups stood out with imaginative tech, such as Emiota, whose smart belt called “belty” looks straight out of a 60s Star Trek episode with its huge buckle.

Belty expands and contracts with the body during the day, as you sit and stand and as it heats up, and as you gain and lose weight over time.

Co-founder Bertrand Duplat said the smart belt was packed with sensors that measure health metrics and can zap your waste gently to communicate with you.

PHOTOS: Latest gadgets at CES 2015

Another French firm Giroptic displayed a 360-degree high definition camera suitable both for home security and for shooting homemade 360-degree movies, viewable with immersive virtual reality headsets such as the upcoming Oculus Rift.

Firstech debuted DroneMobile, a remote control car system suited to many older vehicles. An owner can use a smartphone app to remotely lock and unlock their car and remotely track it if stolen.

Healbe showed off GoBe, an activity monitoring device that not only measures a range of health metrics including calories burned, but also calories consumed, so it claims, freeing dieters of counting calories themselves. It claims to use an impedance sensor to measure body fluids when glucose levels rise after eating but we’re yet to see evidence that this does work.

US deadlock maker Kwikset announced that users soon can lock and unlock its smartlocks remotely — so if a child left their school lunch at home, you could remotely unlock the door to let inside to get their lunch.

Another French firm, Netatmo, showcased its new cylindrically-shaped “welcome” camera, a home security camera capable of face recognition. It will know the difference between family members rummaging around and the local burglar passing through. You’ll get a phone notification telling you who has come home.

Paris-based Parrot, a popular maker of consumer drones, displayed two plant pots packed with sensors that measure plant metrics and release water when needed. One includes a small water tank that Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux said could water a plant as needed for a month. It will be launched later this year.

European technology firm Rollkers SAS displayed a prototype walking accessory that increases an average person’s walking pace to about 10kph but it’s still in early development.

* Chris Griffith travelled to CES at Las Vegas courtesy of Acer, Sony and Samsung.