Amazon is reportedly developing a radar-equipped sleep apnea device for those who find trouble sleeping. As initially reported by Business Insider, the device will be at a palm's size and is designed to sit on a bedside table and use wave radar to sense its users' breathing pattern to look out for interruptions associated with the sleeping disorder.
Reports reveal that Amazon uses the code name "Brahms" after the infamous "Lullaby" composer from Germany, Johannes Brahms. The composer is known to have suffered from sleep apnea during his lifetime.
Said to be an Alexa-supported device, Amazon's newest contactless sleeping device will use radar technology to track breathing and sleeping patterns.
"It will primarily use millimeter-wave radar to track sleeping and breathing patterns of individual users and detect subtleties in their movements that could come from stoppages of breathing associated with sleep apnea," the Insider report reveals.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleeping disorder that pauses and starts your breathing uncontrollably, as noted by Mayo Clinic.
Commonly, sleep apnea is followed by loud snoring, and people with such disease would still wake up tired even after a long period of deep sleep.
In some severe cases, sleep apnea causes daytime fatigue and high blood pressure problems. People with sleep apnea experience repeated awakenings, making them prone to daytime drowsiness. Plus, sudden drops in blood oxygen during sleep can increase blood pressure, resulted in multiple episodes of low blood oxygen like hypoxia or hypoxemia.
As sleep apnea worsens, it can increase the risk of developing insulin resistance and suffering type 2 diabetes, not to mention the disorder's metabolic syndrome and liver problems caused by the condition.
A drastic lifestyle change needs to be made to treat people with sleep apnea, and a therapy appointment of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
When and Where to Order?
Up to this writing (1/7), there are no official words or release date from the company as Amazon is yet to confirm the rumor. This is not Amazon's first venture in perfecting its Alexa technology, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
"The new sleep-tracking device will likely be able to connect to other devices and send notifications through a separate app," and "the prototype looks like a standing hexagonal pad connected to a metal wire base," the report reveals.
If the rumors are spot on, Brahms could be Amazon's latest venture in the health industry. Last year, the marketplace giant launched Halo, a fitness tracker and a wearable device, and it started at $99.99. While it's not exactly a medical device, Amazon also launched a Pharmacy service for delivering medication last year.
Previously, Amazon has released the Echo smart speakers to compliment Alexa, its voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service, in 2014.
