Startup company Augmedix has acquired $3.2 billion as capital to showcase the use of Google Glass in the field of medicine.
According to a report by Techcrunch, Augmedix was backed up by DCM and Emergence Capital Partners and these two firms lent the money needed by Augmedix to start its initial studies on Google Glass' new application. The money from these firms will be used to find new talents and help widen the user base of Google's wearable technology.
Augmedix is one of the few organizations that were given a significant funding to conduct more research about a particular product. Google Glass has been the subject of many debates about its use in the public sphere; however, this effort is the first to tap into its potential for medicinal purposes.
Since 2012, the company has been running tests about possible usage of Google Glass for the healthcare industry, and they were able to develop a system wherein a patient's digital health records are automatically uploaded to a doctor's Glass unit. The records can be accessed through voice command and is designed to help save time spent in finding documents. Augmedix said that locating patients' records alone can take up as much as one-third of a doctor's entire workday.
One criticism of the technology is that it may compromise the privacy of the patient's records. However, Augmedix said that they are predicting that the public will acclimatize easily to this technology. If this will push through, Google Glass services for healthcare will be an opt-in choice for patients.
Techcrunch reported that although initial perception of the technology is somewhat negative, a key element in the success of Google Glass's introduction in the health care industry is the patient's trust in their respective health care professionals.
