Stress can indeed harm a person, often in ways that we are not immediately aware of. Swiss startup Nutrix AG hopes a quick at-home saliva test can help by giving people a better idea of how stressed they really are and the tools to cope with it. At CES 2025, Nutrix showed off its CortiSense device, which measures salivary cortisol levels and can be used to track how they change over time. The startup plans to launch it by the end of the year and will work with the gSense app and digital platform, offering things like personalized health advice from a medical team.
This is a simple and non-invasive way to identify and combat burnout. And the part that's a little sous? In a press release, Nutrix CEO Maria Khan said the company is focused on “empowering enterprises,” noting that employee burnout can be a “major problem with enormous human and financial costs.” So, I think, get your stress under control so you can perform your birth better.
I wasn't able to put it in my mouth and try it (I asked), but the Nutrix team says it should take about 3-5 minutes to read. The vape-like device uses disposable pills with a cortisol sensor. “You get quantitative information about salivary cortisol,” which is then “transmitted to a digital health platform to be combined with other data such as activity monitoring, glucose (and) weight,” said Nutrix co-founder and CTO Dr. Jamish Parmar at the CES Unveiled event. You should take four measurements per day.
The company hasn't shared pricing information, but the team says it will be offered as part of a subscription program that will include a CortiSense device, disposable sensors, and a digital health platform. The gSense platform currently offers weight loss recommendations, but will soon offer mental health services, according to Dr. Dominica Sulot, head of data and software. “Once you have all the details, you make an appointment with (the medical team) and then they provide you with a personalized plan,” Sulot says.
For personal use, things like this can be great if they work as advertised, especially if they provide users with physical and mental health support. But I don't like the emphasis on enterprise apps that, according to the press release, “help create a healthier, more productive workforce.” In fact, I probably just felt sick in my mouth writing this. I wonder what CortiSense will detect in this?