Google and Johnson & Johnson want to join forces to give hospital surgeons smarter, more powerful robotic tools.
Surgeons often rely on camera-mounted robotic tools to perform cuts, move organs and explore hard-to-reach places inside the human body.
Google (GOOGL) says it will offer advanced software that will help surgeons see better as they operate. Image analysis software could highlight blood vessels, or give doctors special alerts when something important is happening during surgery.
The deal is with Google's life sciences team, a division within the secretive laboratory called Google X, where the company experiments with its most outrageous and amazing ideas. It's a team with biologists and chemists working on projects like a smart contact lens that measures blood sugar.
Any partnership would not involve Google's own growing robotics team, the company said.
What could this partnership look like? Will they launch a joint health care company? Google and Johnson & Johnson said it's too early to tell.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) noted that any deal would require approval from antitrust regulators at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. The health conglomerate expects the deal to be finalized between April and June this year.
