Google has acquired Sound Life Sciences, to further expand its digital sleep monitoring offerings, as per a report in GeekWire. But, financial information or details on when the acquisition took place has not been disclosed. Sound Life Sciences is a U.S. startup that develops clinically-validated health software solutions that can monitor a user’s breathing patterns during sleep. Their solutions include sensors that can detect abnormal respiratory patterns and predict heart attacks, opioid overdoses or other, and intervene.
Why it’s Notable:
Google and its parent company Alphabet have invested in Sound Life Sciences for several years, but details into their use of this technology has not been disclosed. The implications of this acquisition remain unclear, but as the founders of Sound Life Science have previously adapted the technology for products, including Amazon’s Alexa, Google may seek to integrate this sensor technology into their google home speaker, as well as smartphone applications.
This acquisition is in accordance with other investments Google has made into sensors and wearable devices for sleep tracking and breath monitoring. Specifically, Google’s subsidiary Verily, co-developed Primasun, an FDA-approved sleep tracking app for patients with sleep apnea. This joint venture between Verily and ResMed took place in 2021. Furthermore, Google acquired Senosis Health in 2017, an investment that provided Google with SprioSmart, a breath-measuring app to assess pulmonary function.
Industry Implications:
Sleep apnea is a global burden, with a prevalence exceeding 1 billion people worldwide, that can result in adverse effects if left untreated. Due to the comorbidities and potential fatal risks associated, technology which can detect irregular breathing and prevent adverse effects have gained momentum within the digital health space. Moreover, there is a demand for sensors which improve diagnosis, and reduce therapeutic wait times. The global market for sleep tech devices is predicted to exceed $67 billion by 2030.
Big tech have shown increased activity in respiratory sensors and sleep trackers. The potential that such devices have to track respiratory health and detect and prevent fatal incidents is of clear interest to these companies, and Google’s investment into Sound Life Science is in accordance with this. For example, Amazon has developed the Halo Raise sleep sensor and Apple acquired respiratory monitoring company Tueo Health in 2019, all of which enable passive monitoring of users as they sleep.
Alphabet is the most prominent big tech investor in the digital health space, and is branding itself as a market leader and key competitor to Apple within the wearables market, particularly following its acquisition of tech brand FitBit. Due to their extensive investments into the digital health space, as well as their expertise and databases, Alphabet is at the forefront of digital health advancements. However, Google has been more inconspicuous with their investments into sleep tracking solutions and intentions for these solutions. Although it is difficult to ascertain Google’s exact moves from this acquisition, the hushed nature of it suggests this may be an R&D play, rather than an immediate plan to go to market.