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Google swallows SMARTSPOON manufacturer Lift Labs
Spill-free eating for the tremor-prone
Google has made an investment in a truly shaky business with the purchase of a company which makes smartspoons for Parkinson's sufferers.
Mountain View has slurped Lift Labs, which makes a "tremor-cancelling" spoon called Liftware. This device looks like an ordinary spoon, but contains microchips and sensors to work out the severity of the user's tremor before attempting to cancel it using two small motors.
The firm wrote: "Seeing our own friends and family suffering has motivated us to create Lift Labs and focus on improving overall quality of life and independence.
"We’re excited to be joining Google[x], Google’s moonshot factory," it added. "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-cancelling devices every day."
As well as a spoon, users of the Liftware can strap on a fork or knife. Google hopes to copy a bit of this adaptability and use the design to help sufferers of other illnesses get a good feed.
"We’re also going to explore how their technology could be used in other ways to improve the understanding and management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor," Google wrote.
If you think Google buying a smartspoon company is strange, spare a thought for the man who has invented a tweeting toilet.
It was designed by and sends out a tweet every time someone yanks the chain.
Here's a sample:
Latest flush: 2.5 litres. #IoT
— Internet of Toilets (@IoToilets) September 10, 2014
Who says the Internet of Things is going down the pan? ®