Amazon’s sleep-monitoring radar sensor receives federal approval

• Federal regulators approved Amazon’s radar sensor technology to track people’s sleep habits.
• The device will reportedly “enable contactless sleep tracing functionalities.”
• The company said that the product can help users “recognize potential sleep issues.”

Amazon has received the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday to use a radar sensor technology that will “enable contactless sleep tracing functionalities.”

Amazon sought the filing on June 22, Bloomberg reported.

The filing stated, “The use of Radar Sensors in sleep tracking could improve awareness and management of sleep hygiene, which in turn could produce significant health benefits for many Americans. Radar Sensors will allow consumers to recognize potential sleep issues.”

The filing states the tech giant’s hope that the product will empower people to precisely monitor sleep and “mobility, speech, or tactile impairments.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos officially handed the CEO reins this week to Andy Jassy, who was in charge of Amazon’s cloud-computing business.

Bezos explained earlier this year that he wanted to step back from the company’s daily business and instead focus on new products, early initiatives, and side projects, including his space exploration company Blue Origin.

The new tech still doesn’t have a clear description, but according to Bloomberg, last month’s filing confirmed that it wouldn’t be a mobile device.

Two years prior, the FCC approved Google’s “Project Soli,” a radar-relying ability that bypasses touchscreens on smartphones, Reuters reported.

Amazon, meanwhile, is launching several products in the health sector.

Its Halo wristband, meant to rival Apple’s watch, has a 3D body scan sensor that can monitor body fat and voice tones. However, such body diagnostic abilities have raised concerns about privacy.

The tech giant is also planning on enhancing its current devices’ capabilities, such as voice-activated Echo speakers and its dud Fire smartphone‘s response to hand and other gestures.

Source: The U.S. Sun