Amazon obtains permission to monitor user sleep through IoT equipment

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Obtaining user data remains the most exploited digital oil by technology companies around the world. In a very discreet way, the Federal Communications Commission (FTC) has granted permission to Amazon so that the company can develop radar-based equipment that is capable of monitoring the physical activity of users while they sleep.

Bloomberg reports indicate that Amazon submitted this request to the FTC to obtain authorization for the use of an unlicensed radar device, intended to emit high-frequency waves to capture the movements of anyone nearby.

Because the FTC is responsible for managing the radio spectrum in the United States, Amazon was required to apply to the federal agency for permission.

Amazon wrote, by capturing motion in three-dimensional space, a radar sensor can collect data in a way that enables contactless device control. As a result, users can interact with a device and control its functions through simple gestures and movements.

The memo details that it is a technology very similar to Soli, Google's development for the Pixel 4 and 4 XL that allowed control of the device without touching it and only with aerial gestures.

The authority mentions that there is a strong benefit of public interest in the granting of the exemption than in the application of the rule. The granting of the exemption will allow the deployment of applications that can provide assistance to people with disabilities and improve personal health and well-being.

Amazon and the world of dreams

With this green light, Amazon has no impediment to launching a new version of the Echo that will allow you to set your alarms or turn off your TV with a nod or a sign language hand gesture. However, the mega-company wielded a need greater than this: the ability to track sleep without contact.

Amazon wrote in the initial presentation said, these devices would allow users to estimate sleep quality based on movement patterns. Using radar sensors in sleep tracking could improve sleep hygiene awareness and management, which in turn could have significant health benefits for many Americans.

Currently, smartwatches are the only devices capable of monitoring our sleep quality at home and in a simple way. The parameters of restorative sleep, apnea or wakefulness can be associated with health metrics for the monitoring of any disease or an anxiety disorder. With this, Amazon would cut the way in the competition for health devices, led by Apple and Fitbit, the new Google brand.