Amazon.com is reportedly working on a new range of smart home devices, which includes gadget that people can use to order products.
Two sources familiar with the situation said the move comes as the e-commerce giant looks to increase its staff at its Lab126 division by 27 percent, which would bring staff up to 3,757 people by 2019, according to Reuters. The staff boost is part of a deal the company made with California in June, which would have Amazon receive $1.2 million in tax breaks.
The agreement was posted on the California governor's website, stating that Lab126 will receive $55 million in funding from Amazon to develop products in Sunnyvale and Cupertino.
One of the sources said the ordering device would run on Wi-Fi and allow users to order products by simply pressing a button, The Verge reported. The other source said Lab126 is also focusing on developing wearable devices.
However, they both stressed that these products might not even be made available on the open market.
Lab126 currently has over 240 million active users, and is responsible for several of the products released by Amazon this year. The company said that these devices include the Fire set-top box, Fire phone and new e-readers and tablets, Reuters reported.
"We will continue to invent and create new features, services and products, and to support this innovation. Lab 126 is also growing very quickly," said Kinley Pearsall, spokeswoman for Amazon.
One of the sources added that the company plans to use Lab126's work to develop different Internet-connected devices for the home, such as sensors that would tell users ahead of time when they need to replace air conditioner filters or fix their washing machines.
