CNBC: Secret team at Amazon is working on health care projects
The '1492' squad is reportedly looking at hardware and software.
A report by CNBC connects several threads that apparently lead to an Amazon stealth team working on health related projects. Dubbed 1492 (because healthcare from Columbus worked out great for so many people), the team is apparently working on hardware and software projects. Late last fall, CEO Jeff Bezos mentioned that Alexa and Echo devices could be a tool for both providers and patients. Separately, the company is investing in cancer-testing startup Grail and recently hired the former director of healthcare and life sciences at Box.
Specifically, CNBC points to job postings dealing with the use of medical records as examples. There's no mention of its Lab126 that was reportedly restructured after delivering hardware including the original Echo and Fire Phone.
As machine learning and AI services expand, big name companies in tech are looking for ways to grab a piece of the immense health care market, and Amazon could be poised to do that via Echo hardware backed by Alexa. Previous rumors have pointed to Apple using the iPhone to dive deeper into your medical history, while Google's DeepMind Health AI project processes big data for hospitals.
