Verily, the life sciences division of Alphabet, has been seeking partners to collaborate on sensor-enhanced shoes that can monitor the wearer’s movement and weight and detect falls, CNBC reports.
“Three people familiar with the project say that the Google sister company has in recent months shown a prototype of the design in private meetings, hoping to attract partners to build the shoes and take them to market. It is not known whether the project is still active.”
“Three people familiar with the project say that the Google sister company has in recent months shown a prototype of the design in private meetings, hoping to attract partners to build the shoes and take them to market. It is not known whether the project is still active,” says the outlet.
The possibilities for these shoes in the healthcare space could abound. Sudden weight gain could indicate fluid retention, which is a sign of congestive heart failure, CNBC explains. Fall detection is also of interest due to its appeal to seniors.
Verily raised $1 billion from Silver Lake and other investors in January. CEO Andy Conrad described this development as a move to “increase flexibility and optionality,” which CNBC observes could indicate that Verily intends to spin off from Alphabet.
The outlet reports that the company is on a hiring tear, having recruited dozens of engineers, scientists and health experts, with many former Googlers filling their ranks.
In addition to these shoes, Verily has several other hardware projects in the pipeline. These include “a stabilizing spoon to help people with movement disorders eat, a smartwatch for its clinical research efforts and a ‘smart’ contact lens for age-related farsightedness or improving sight after a cataract surgery,” says CNBC.