Alphabet's Verily is working on smart shoes that can sense movement and track weight, according to a new report. Sources claim that the life sciences company is now looking for possible partners in developing the shoes' prototype.
Smart Shoes In The Works
Three people familiar with the project have revealed to CNBC that in the past few months, Google's sister company held private meetings where it showcased the prototype of the smart shoes.
If things push through, Verily's smart shoe will be an addition to a growing number of health-focused gadgets in the market. Reports say that the shoes feature sensors that can track sudden weight gain, which could be a sign of congestive heart failure. It's also equipped with a tracker that sends an alert if a user falls down, which is quite useful especially for the elderly and people with mobility issues.
Fall detection tracker isn't something new. Apple previously included this feature in last year's Apple Watch Series 4, where the device automatically calls an emergency contact if it senses that the user fell down.
However, CNBC is not aware if the project is still ongoing or not.
Other Projects
Formerly known as Google Life Sciences, Verily became an independent subsidiary under Google's parent company Alphabet in 2015.
The company has been creating devices that are focusing on health and wellness. It has developed Liftware, a special spoon that levels and stabilizes on its own. It's created for people with movement disorders or limited mobility.
Last year, the company also started developing a smart lens that can monitor glucose levels through a users' tears. Unfortunately, the company had to halt the project due to difficulties in obtaining a reliable tear that can give accurate glucose measurements.
"[W]e found that interference from biomolecules in tears resulted in challenges in obtaining accurate glucose readings from the small quantities of glucose in the tear film. In addition, our clinical studies have demonstrated challenges in achieving the steady state conditions necessary for reliable tear glucose readings," Brian Otis, Verily's CTO, said in a post published November 2018.
