A new version of Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa may be able to detect when its user is sick.
According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, Amazon has patented a new version of Alexa that would be able to detect when a person is ill, offer to sell users medicine, analyze speech and identify other signs of illness or emotion.
“One example given in the patent is a woman coughing and sniffling while she speaks to her Amazon Echo device. Alexa first suggests some chicken soup to cure her cold, and then offers to order cough drops on Amazon,” the report stated.
“The patent filing also covers the tracking of emotions using Alexa. Amazon describes a system where Alexa can tell by your voice if you’re feeling bored and tired, and then it would suggest things to do for those moods.”
The report also noted the filing doesn’t “definitely prove” Amazon is working on the proposed features and many patents for proposed ideas are filed all the time that never come to fruition.
To read the full report, click the link below.
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.