Google moves further into health monitoring with Senosis purchase
Senosis, a company that specialises in hardware-free health monitoring, has been purchased by Google. Seattle-based Senosis specialises in turning smartphones into monitoring devices that collect health data to diagnose and collate information about a range of medical conditions. The company's apps record data on metrics such as pulmonary function and haemoglobin counts. The acquisition supports Google's continuing push into digital health.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. AP

GeekWire reports that Google has acquired Senosis, a Seattle-based startup that's been making mobile apps to identify and monitor health conditions without the need for additional hardware.

Fronted by Shwetak Patel, a computer science and electrical engineering professor at the University of Washington, the company has developed tools to detect jaundice in infants and measure hemoglobin in your blood (to screen for diseases like anaemia) using just your phone's camera.

Another app uses the mic to help diagnose lung problems like asthma and cystic fibrosis. If approved by health regulatory agencies, these apps could make it easy to deploy wellness solutions in developing countries without the need for expensive hardware, testing labs and accompanying personnel.

The acquisition will likely help Google boost its efforts to tackle health issues as part of the company's plans for world domination. Its AI firm, DeepMind, has been working on machine learning tech to detect eye conditions and help fight blindness. The search giant also gathers fitness data on users' phones and from wearable trackers.

It's worth noting, though, that Google hasn't commented on the acquisition or said where it will place the Senosis team, which counts a little over a dozen people. GeekWire's source said that they might be retained in Seattle to work with Google and form the backbone of a digital health project.