Amazon could be working on an Alexa-enabled device that could track sleep and detect sleep apnea, according to a Business Insider report.
Citing anonymous sources and an internal Amazon document, Business Insider claims that the device is the size of a person’s palm and looks like a hexagonal pad with a metal wire base. It is intended to be placed on a person’s bedside table. Interestingly, the device will presumably be contactless, using a millimeter-wave radar to track breathing and movement during sleep to detect if someone may have sleep apnea. The device is likely to connect to other devices as well, and will have a complementary notification application. Internally, the project is supposed to be called “Brahms,” according to composer Johannes Brahms. You know, the guy famous for writing lullabies, possibly because he, too, suffered from obstructive sleep apnea.
The report goes on to point out that, last year, Amazon expanded the team responsible for building this device and plans to build a sleep analysis program that goes beyond sleep apnea.
Gizmodo contacted Amazon to report Business Insider, but did not receive a response immediately.
G / O Media may receive a commission
If true, it’s not terribly surprising news. In recent months, Amazon has repeatedly stated that it is interested in expanding its healthcare and portable technology business.. Since November, Amazon has launched its Amazon Pharmacy Service, added fitness tracking features to his Echo Buds, and also released Hello, is your first fitness tracker.
The fact that Amazon can sign up for sleep apnea also makes sense. Sleep tracking devices are not new, and to differentiate themselves, Amazon is likely to offer a feature that is not currently available. Of the medical conditions that health and portable technology could detect, sleep apnea is still pending, affects an estimate 22 million Americans, i it is not particularly easy to officially diagnose. Apple claimed its involvement in atrial fibrillation through an ECG application in 2018 with the Apple Watch Series 4, and it took until 2020 to recover for Fitbit and Samsung. Samsung has focused a lot on it blood pressure control. Meanwhile, Fitbit has been potentially detecting sleep apnea for years, starting with the introduction of SpO2 sensors in its Ionic smart watch. However, it wasn’t until early 2020 when he finally launched his Estimated Oxygen Variation metric. At the time, Fitbit noted that it was so seeking FDA approval for a sleep apnea detection function. Withings also announced his ScanWatch smart watch last year, which also claimed to detect sleep apnea, although it is still pending FDA approval. Here we are a year later, and crickets.
In addition, sleep monitoring has become an increasingly desirable feature questions about overall accuracy. Finally, Apple added native sleep tracking with watchOS 7 in 2020. Portable sleep tracking devices focused on recovery Wow and the Oura Ring too nailed headlines last year, in part because these devices were used in studies to see if they could detect covid-19. In any case, the global market for sleep monitoring devices is expected to grow nearly 16% to $ 43.5 billion by 2026. You know Amazon wants a part of it.