Recent reports suggest Amazon’s secretive Lab126 division is in need of some additional hands as it is working on developing new innovative smart-home gadgets.
According to a Reuters report, which cited a government document and sources who claim to have knowledge of the plans, Amazon will boost up employee numbers at Lab126, based in Cupertino and Sunnyvale, Calif. by at least 27 per cent over the next five years. This means Amazon’s Lab126, which currently houses around 3,000 employees, plans to increase its employee base to at least 3,757 employees by 2019.
The Lab126 division has been credited with the development of Amazon’s most popular hardware products, including the Kindle, Kindle Fire as well as the recently launched Amazon Fire Phone.
According to the report, Amazon will invest $55 million in Lab126’s operations in Sunnyvale and Cupertino for developing innovative home products that would connect to the Internet and offer greater control to the user.
The team at Lab126 is already testing wi-fi enabled product that allows user to order for products like dish soap or laundry detergent by just pressing a button.
Furthermore the report claims Lab126 is also exploring the possibility of wearable devices, although no specific details for the plan are currently available.
Amazon spokeswoman Kinley Pearsall said “We will continue to invent and create new features, services and products, and to support this innovation. Lab 126 is also growing very quickly.”
Amazon’s entry into smart home product segment will bring the online retailer in line with other tech giants Google, Apple and Samsung who are all experimenting with the smart technology.
Apple recently unveiled the Watch wearable device and has its HomeKit platform, which allows iOS devices to communicate with products throughout the home. Meanwhile, Google’s acquisition of smart thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion earlier this year, indicate a definitive move towards the smart home technology.
Samsung also revealed a connected devices platform dubbed Smart Home this year.
