Alphabet Exploring Smart Shoes That Can Detect Falls

The Apple Watch Series 4 has a built-in feature that can detect when the user has fallen and call for help if they do not respond. So far the Apple Watch is one of the few, if not the only, smartwatch that offers that feature. However it seems that Google’s parent company Alphabet might be exploring similar tech, except in shoes.

In a report from CNBC, Alphabet’s Verily has apparently been working on a prototype shoe that can track various biometrics of the wearer, and one of the features of the shoe is fall detection. The shoes are also said to be capable of measuring the user’s movements, as well as their weight where sudden weight gain could be interpreted as a sign of the body retaining fluid which could be an indication of congestive heart failure.

According to the report, Verily has been showing off prototypes of the shoe in private meetings hoping to attract partners who might be able to help them take the shoes to the market, but it is unclear if the project is still active at this time of posting. Given that Verily has been known to work on a variety of medical products that might not necessarily make the market (such as its glucose monitoring contact lens), it’s hard to tell if these smart shoes will as well.

However wearable tech is a burgeoning industry and features in devices like the Apple Watch have been met with positive reviews, so to see it make its way into other articles of clothing might not be such a bad idea.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets, Medical
Tags: alphabet, Health, Wearable Tech