{"id":197876,"date":"2021-03-09T16:16:40","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T13:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ai-turns-smart-speakers-into-contactless-heartbeat-monitors\/"},"modified":"2021-03-09T16:16:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T13:16:40","slug":"ai-turns-smart-speakers-into-contactless-heartbeat-monitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-turns-smart-speakers-into-contactless-heartbeat-monitors\/","title":{"rendered":"#AI turns smart speakers into contactless heartbeat monitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#AI turns smart speakers into contactless heartbeat monitors<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Scientists have developed\u00a0a new smart speaker system\u00a0that could turn the Amazon Echo and Google Home into contactless heartbeat monitors.<\/p>\n

The AI-powered system\u00a0sends inaudible sounds from the speakers towards\u00a0a person sitting nearby.<\/p>\n

When they bounce back, algorithms analyze the sound waves to determine the heart rate.<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit: Mark Stone\/University of Washington<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The system could help doctors identify cardiac problems.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers from the University of Washington tested the device\u00a0on healthy people and hospitalized cardiac patients. They found that the smart speaker detected their heartbeats almost as well as medical-grade ECG monitors.<\/p>\n

The team says it\u2019s the first time that both regular and irregular heartbeats can be monitored without physical contact.<\/p>\n

[Read:\u00a0How do you build a\u00a0pet<\/span>-friendly gadget? We asked experts and animal owners]<\/em><\/p>\n

The system harnesses two different algorithms. The first one analyzes signals from all the smart speaker\u2019s microphones to find the heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Study co-author Shyam Gollakota said this is similar to how Alexa identifies a user\u2019s voice in a noisy room:<\/p>\n

When I say, \u2018Hey, Alexa,\u2019 the microphones are working together to find me in the room and listen to what I say next. That\u2019s basically what\u2019s happ<\/a>ening here but with the heartbeat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A second algorithm then segments the signal to determine the amount of time between two heartbeats.<\/p>\n

The system is currently set up for spot checks by a person worried about their heart rhythm. But it could be adapted to continuously monitor patients for signs of sleep apnea or cardiac emergencies.<\/p>\n

The likes of Amazon and Google could also integrate the software into their smart speakers. My only concern is that hackers could access<\/span>\u00a0the system to work out if I\u2019m home before robbing the place.<\/p>\n

\n Published March 9, 2021 \u2014 13:16 UTC<\/p><\/div>\n