The ETC will be at CES 2013 where more than 215 exhibitors will showcase the latest digital health and fitness technologies, a 25 percent increase from 2012. With innovative devices and more than 44 million apps expected for download in 2013, the health and wellness category is a serious player in the digital arena. ETC will explore the role and opportunities for entertainment as fitness moves from grind to games and health and wellness shifts from routine to ritual.

“Health and fitness technology is booming, and will continue its dominance on the CES show floor with the future of fitness tech that combines data aggregation, social elements and convenience,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “Health, wellness and technology converge at the International CES where there are solutions for diagnosing, monitoring and treating illnesses with games that let people take responsibility for their own health and reinforce healthy behavior.”

One example of gamification is United Healthcare’s integration with “Dance Dance Revolution: Classroom Edition,” which enables teachers to track vital information about their student’s health and progress.

According to the CEA, over the next five years, wearable devices in sports and fitness will grow to 169.5 million devices, with the body becoming an input/output device where everything can be tracked. More than 27,000 net square feet of exhibit space will be dedicated to those technologies at CES. The companies will be showcased in the FitnessTech (LVCC South Hall 2) and Digital Health Summit (LVCC North Hall) TechZones and conference tracks, plus the Silvers Summit.

Arianna Huffington will moderate a supersession panel during the 2-day Digital Health Summit. Deepak Chopra will join industry leaders as they consider the latest innovations and what the digital revolution means for the body, mind and soul. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta is scheduled to lead the Summit’s opening keynote panel. Similar to entertainment media, healthcare is facing issues such as security, the cloud, crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, and consumer engagement.