Google Shows Prototype of Health-Tracking Shoes to Measure Movement, Weight and Falls

PRESENT Podiatry News Flash February 8, 2019

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/01/alphabet-verily-built-health-tracking-shoes-prototype.html

Alphabet’s (Google parent company) life sciences arm, Verily, has been looking for partners to co-develop shoes with sensors embedded to monitor the wearer’s movement and weight, as well as to measure falls. 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. If Verily progresses with the project, the shoes could have a wide range of health-related uses. For instance, sudden weight gain can be a sign that the body is retaining fluid, which is a symptom of congestive heart failure. Another area of interest is fall detection, two of the people said, which could be useful for seniors in particular.