Use Of Amazon's Sleep Monitoring Radar FCC Approved

Amazon has developed a lot of technology that makes human work easier. (photo: Nicolas J Leclercq/unsplash)

JAKARTA - Amazon finally got permission to make a device that can monitor a person's sleep. Last June, Amazon requested permission from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the US to market “non-cellular devices” using “Radar Sensors” that “will operate at higher power levels than currently permitted.

On Friday, July 9, the FCC finally issued approval for a touchless device, which will use radar sensors to track sleep. In its request, Amazon said the device "could help increase consumer awareness and sleep health management."

In its approval document, the FCC said Google had also made a similar request in 2018 for its Pixel smartphones. "Like Google, Amazon explained how it plans to use its Radar Sensors to enable touchless control over device features and functions," said a source at the FCC.

The FCC explains that Amazon plans to use the radar's ability to capture motion in three-dimensional space to enable contactless sleep tracking functionality.

Other technology companies also have sleep monitoring systems. Apple Watch can track sleep when you wear it to bed, just like the FitBit. There are also several iPhone apps that track sleep, including the iPhone's built-in Health app.

However, Amazon requires FCC approval to use radar that captures "movement in discrete space characterized by a short distance between the radar and what it detects," according to the FCC document.

"The power levels at which Amazon Radar Sensors will be allowed to operate will be the same as those we previously allowed on Google Waiver," the document reads.

In January, Insider exclusively reported that Amazon was building an Alexa-enabled device to monitor sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing stops and continues repeatedly.