Spit on this stick to see how burned out you are

Stress can really take a toll on your body and mind, often in ways you may not immediately realize. Swiss startup Nutrix AG is hoping a quick, at-home spit test can help by giving users a better idea of how stressed out they really are — and tools to manage it.

At CES 2025, Nutrix showed off its cortiSense device that’s designed to measure levels of cortisol in saliva and can be used to track changes over time. The startup aims to launch it by the end of this year, and it’ll work with the gSense app and digital platform to offer things like personalized wellness coaching from a medical team.

It’s meant to be an easy and noninvasive way to identify and combat burnout. The part that’s a little sus, though? In a press release, Nutrix CEO Maria Hahn said the company is focusing on “empowering enterprises,” noting that employee burnout can present “a significant challenge with a huge human and financial cost.” So, get your stress under control to better perform labor, I guess.

I wasn’t able to pop one in my mouth and try it out (I did ask), but the Nutrix team says a …read more