Google acquires health-monitoring startup Senosis Health

Google has acquired Senosis Health, a startup that uses smartphones as medical devices capable of monitoring several vital health stats, reports GeekWire.

Its apps use phone's built-in sensors to perform checkups that would normally require a dedicated sensor. For example, HemaApp checks your blood's hemoglobin count using your phone's camera, and SpiroSmart uses the microphone to measure your lung functions.

Senosis Health was founded by Shwetak Patel with four others from the University of Washington. Though Google hasn't officially commented on the acquisition, it fits into the company's growing portfolio of healthcare products. Last year, it launched DeepMind Health, an initiative to create a suite of apps that can help doctors identify patients at risk of complications.

According to Geekwire, Patel and his team—which includes multiple specialists in pediatric medicine—won't be joining Verily, the life sciences unit of Google parent Alphabet, and it's not yet clear where they will fit into the Alphabet structure.