Technology has hundreds of thousands of potential uses (if not far more), and as it advances, that number grows even further. Medical tech is arguably the most important example - prolonging, saving, or merely improving lives is a noble pursuit, and it's one many tech giants have dedicated a portion of their businesses to.

Indeed, Google parent company Alphabet has one such division, called Verily. Verily's mission, according to its own website, is to "make the world's health data useful so that people enjoy healthier lives."

While that might sound like standard corporate speak, Verily tends to put its money where its mouth is. One of its most well-known projects is "Debug," which has involved the company releasing millions of non-aggressive, sterile male mosquitos throughout the US in order to kill off disease-carrying females.

Now, Verily is using its health-related tech prowess to create smart shoes, according to sources that spoke to CNBC. And no, we don't mean shoes with fancy RGB lights and self-lacing capabilities.

Instead, Verily's prototype shoes are much more useful. They can send out an alert to emergency services (or presumably friends and family) if you happen to take a fall while wearing them, or they can track "rapid weight gain," which can be a sign of congestive heart failure in some cases.

The shoes could have other features down the line, but for now, those two areas are where Verily is focusing its efforts. The company has not yet confirmed these reports, but we'll update this article if they issue an official statement on the matter.