Amazon is in process of developing Alexa-powered device to track signs of sleep apnea

If reports are to be believed, E-commerce giant Amazon is in the process of building a new device powered by Alexa that would use radar to track the sleep of the user and monitor it for signs of sleep apnea. The device would be the size of a palm and it would be designed to sit on the bedside table of the customer and make use of the millimeter-wave radar in order to sense the user’s breathing while looking out for any interruptions that could be linked to sleep apnea.

Code named ‘Brahms’ after the German composer, the project has been under development for the last one year by an internal team at Amazon, as per reports. Currently, the device is said to resemble a standing pad in the shape of a hexagon which is connected to a metal wire base. Reports doing rounds also believe that the device would track other sleeping disorders apart from sleep apnea.

Not that monitoring sleep using radar is a new idea as attempts to commercialise the technology have been made by at least one other big company namely Nintendo. In 2014, the Japanese video gaming company had declared that it would develop a non-wearable device that would use radio waves to track sleep but two years ago the company said that the product might not be viable, leaving the project unreleased to date.

On the other hand, last December, smartphone giant OnePlus announced a concept phone that would monitor the user’s breathing with the help of mmWave radar.