Apple Hires Former Nest VP and Robotics Expert Yoky Matsuoka for Health Team

[MacRumors]

Apple recently hired Nest's former Vice President of Technology to work on health related projects at the company, reports Fortune. Yoky Matsuoka, a well-known robotics expert who co-founded the Google X experimental project lab, joined Apple after leaving Nest last year. At Nest, she led the development of machine learning algorithms for the Nest Learning Thermostat.

At Apple, Matsuoka is working under the company's chief operating officer Jeff Williams, who is in charge of Apple's health initiatives like ResearchKit, HealthKit, and CareKit.

Prior to working at Google and Nest, Matsuoka was the director and founder of the University of Washington's Neurobotics Laboratory, focused on building a robot-human system to help individuals who experience strokes, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries with rehabilitation and regaining/enhancing motor control. She is known for her work on robotic hands.

Matsuoka has experience in robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, all areas Apple has expressed interest in through recent acquisitions like VocalIQ, Emotient, and Perceptio. According to Fortune, Matsuoka will be working on health-related projects, but the report does not include specifics on what she will be doing or how her robotics expertise might be applied to Apple products.

Article Link: Apple Hires Former Nest VP and Robotics Expert Yoky Matsuoka for Health Team

 

[Bbqthis]

Apple Watch 2 turns into a battling robot confirmed?

 

[Jakeoster]

No innovation in the pipeline.

Apple is laser focused on watch bands and battery cases.


/s

 

[mcfrazieriv]

Loading up the VP team and bloating the company!

 

[pdaholic]

Dear beautiful lady, please put a GPS chip in the next Apple Watch so I can leave my iPhone at home when I go on long distance runs.

 

[jpn]

hmmm.
nest really has no bugs finally, after so many years. sorry i wasn't aware of that. good work apple.
pls stop hiring people who can't lead teams to success.

 

[ziggie216]

Dear beautiful lady, please put a GPS chip in the next Apple Watch so I can leave my iPhone at home when I go on long distance runs.

I'll take battery life over GPS if GPS will suck the living soul of the battery

 

[vertsix]

Dear beautiful lady, please put a GPS chip in the next Apple Watch so I can leave my iPhone at home when I go on long distance runs.

"Dear beautiful lady, please put a GPS chip on the next Apple Watch so the battery life lasts nothing."

 

[pdaholic]

"Dear beautiful lady, please put a GPS chip on the next Apple Watch so the battery life lasts nothing."

Oh sorry, you're right, once there's a gps chip in place there's no way to turn it off when it's not needed. Silly me.

 

[Rogifan]

Loading up the VP team and bloating the company!

Yeah her resume sure sounds like bloat.

 

[CFreymarc]

This is a borderline fox in the hen house hire.

 

[jeremiah256]

Prior to working at Google and Nest, Matsuoka was the director and founder of the University of Washington's Neurobotics Laboratory, focused on building a robot-human system to help individuals who experience strokes, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries with rehabilitation and regaining/enhancing motor control. She is known for her work on robotic hands.

Very big deal. I've always admired Apple addressing accessibility in their products. Looks like they're full steam ahead with regard to making health a integral part of the Apple ecosystem. Only half joking, but can't wait to see the iScooter Dr. Matsuoka and Sir Ivey come up with.

 

[Westside guy]

Yoky initially left UW to go to Twitter, which doesn't get mentioned probably because it was a bizarre move. She seems to hop from tech company to tech company pretty darned often - I have my doubts she'll be at Apple very long.

 

[JCrz]

Tim Cook's recent media appearances and this recent hire further back up my theory that Tim Cook is a robot. She was actually hired to be his doctor/mechanic.

 

[Dr.Chroma]

They are definitely serious with the health orientated approach. Health Kit and Apple Watch are definitely projects at this junction.

 

[PlainviewX]

Job #1, make Apple Watch an actual health device by including the most rudimentary function as standard, a GPS.

 

[Zirel]

Job #1, make Apple Watch an actual health device by including the most rudimentary function as standard, a GPS.

> GPS is an health feature
> GPS is a rudimentary function

 

[PlainviewX]

> GPS is an health feature
> GPS is a rudimentary function

Absolutely.

 

[Zirel]

She did well quitting Google.

Google is a company that hasn't introduced anything new, nothing successful in the last 10 years. Not even buying Tony Fadell's Nest, they could make something worth anything for anyone!

 

[JimmyHook]

Apple Watch is amazing already. I can only imagine how cool it will be with more health integration. CareKit integrating with Epic charting systems is crazy amazing

 

[nezr]

Apple Watch is amazing already. I can only imagine how cool it will be with more health integration. CareKit integrating with Epic charting systems is crazy amazing

Amazingly overpriced

 

[pat500000]

I'll take battery life over GPS if GPS will suck the living soul of the battery

I can imaging that.

 

[Zirel]

Tim Cook's recent media appearances and this recent hire further back up my theory that Tim Cook is a robot. She was actually hired to be his doctor/mechanic.

Yes, Tim Cook is a Synth, and Apple is the IRL Institute.

 

[harley3k]

Count me as not optimistic that anything good comes from Nest. I was glad to get rid of 2 of their buggy 'smart'-thermostats when I sold my house recently.

Something went horribly wrong with the quality control of their software updates that caused them to be inaccessible on a few occaisions...one for several months before they fixed them...Then they went and bought Dropcam and merged the 2 products into one slow crappy mobile app............................No thanks.
[doublepost=1462334868][/doublepost]

View attachment 629961 I can imaging that.

Can't you anti-gps/pro-battery people get the idea that the GPS doesn't have to be on all the freakin' time?
Just when I go for a run.......sheesh. If garmin can do it, wtf is apple not figuring out? Ya, they have a better screen that is what, off most of the time? It's obvious they tried to make a fashion statement and went for style over substance because they couldn't alter physics and make things work. I'm sure it will get better but until then, the 'sport model' is nothing but a pedometer with a fancy screen, compared to real sports watches that track your gps because they know how to turn it off when you aren't using it.

 

[pat500000]

Count me as not optimistic that anything good comes from Nest. I was glad to get rid of 2 of their buggy 'smart'-thermostats when I sold my house recently.

Something went horribly wrong with the quality control of their software updates that caused them to be inaccessible on a few occaisions...one for several months before they fixed them...Then they went and bought Dropcam and merged the 2 products into one slow crappy mobile app............................No thanks.
[doublepost=1462334868][/doublepost]

Can't you anti-gps/pro-battery people get the idea that the GPS doesn't have to be on all the freakin' time?
Just when I go for a run.......sheesh. If garmin can do it, wtf is apple not figuring out? Ya, they have a better screen that is what, off most of the time? It's obvious they tried to make a fashion statement and went for style over substance because they couldn't alter physics and make things work. I'm sure it will get better but until then, the 'sport model' is nothing but a pedometer with a fancy screen, compared to real sports watches that track your gps because they know how to turn it off when you aren't using it.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Anti-gps? who says i'm anti-gps? You need to make sure you quoting the right person.