As proven again and again, Google is genuinely interested in the wellbeing of people suffering from various diseases. By buying Lift Labs, the maker of a tremor-canceling spoon that minimizes the symptoms of some neurodegenerative diseases, Google X gives Parkinson sufferers a reason to hope.
Google X, the search giant’s research lab specialized in moonshots, acquired Lift Labs in the hope that it would help expand its involvement in the biotech industry. The acquisition was announced on Google+ by Lift Labs: “We have news — we’re excited to be joining Google[x], Google’s moonshot factory. We will continue to sell our Liftware system, and Google will enable us to reach even more people living with Parkinson’s or essential tremor who could benefit from using tremor-canceling devices every day.?” Google X later confirmed the deal.
The Liftware system the startup referred to in its announcement is actually a tremor-canceling spoon equipped with sensors that detect such reactions and cancel them by up to 70 percent. Needless to say, people with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor could benefit a lot from using such devices.
Mountain View isn’t interested only in helping patients cope with the symptoms, but also in preventing diseases, altogether. At least that’s what Baseline, one of the Google X project focusing on the study of the human body, suggests. Calico, another Google X project, looks to find the secret of immortality. I doubt it that if found, such secrets would be shared with the common folk, but at least it’s nice to see that Google gets involved in this field, as well.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is the one who spends more time on such moon shots. This last acquisition might have been stimulated by the fact that Brin’s mother suffers from Parkinson’s and Sergey himself has a genetic mutation that increases his chances of developing the disease.
After buying Lift Labs, Google will obviously allow them to continue to function. On top of that, Google will use its own technology that, along with Lift Labs’, will enable the exploration of additional ways in which neurodegenerative disease patients could be helped.
This is an example that should be followed by companies that have left the impression that they’re only after our money, and don’t care that much if we’re suffering or not.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the smart fork that prevents you from overeating, and the smart contact lens developed by Novartis and Google.
