Google buys maker of anti-tremor spoon

Lift Labs, which will now be part of the life science division of Google X, has designed a spoon that can counter the hand tremors often experienced by older adults or those with Parkinson's disease.

The compact and portable spoon features a handle that contains a sensor that detects hand tremors and a miniature motor that moves the spoon in a direction opposite of the tremor, according to Lift Lab's website, It also contains an ultra-thin rechargeable battery providing several days worth of power.

In an article published by the International Essential Tremor Foundation, Anupam Pathak, PhD, founder and CEO of Lynx Design, of which Lift Labs was a part, said, “The idea is to use active cancellation (which is currently in noise cancelling headphones) to stabilize larger scale motion. I figured out how to make the hardware for active cancellation of human tremor very small, and realized that this would be the perfect application for active cancellation technology."

The company plans to release additional attachments for the device including a fork and soup spoon.