Smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo or the Google Nest can be used to monitor heart rhythms without physical contact as effectively as an electrocardiogram, according to research from the University of Washington published in Communications Biology.
The researchers created a proof-of-concept system where their self-supervised machine learning algorithm can turn smart speakers into short-range...
Amazon and Walmart have both recently been granted patents for novel uses of biometric sensing — Amazon for an Alexa feature that would allow the device to passively detect signs of illness and recommend remedies and Walmart for a connected shopping cart handle that can detect heart rate, palm temperature, grip force, and walking speed.
Companies, especially large, over-resourced companies like...
Basic health information and advice provided by the Mayo Clinic is now available on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Owners who have downloaded the Mayo Clinic First Aid skill (Amazon’s version of apps) need only voice their concerns to receive answers to dozens of everyday health issues or other self-care instructions.
“Mayo Clinic produces trusted, evidence-based health guidance to empower people...
New research from DRG Digital | Manhattan Research suggests that physicians are already beginning to use voice assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa at work. In the company's annual "Taking the Pulse" survey of 2,784 physicians, 23 percent said they used a voice assistant "for professional reasons". That's a broad umbrella that includes dictating messages and using Siri for internet...
Amazon Web Services and Merck announced a developer competition on Monday to that plans to harness artificial intelligence for diabetics.
Dubbed the Alexa Diabetes Challenge, and powered by Luminary Labs, the contest aims to incent upstarts and individual developers to create apps that harness Amazon’s Alexa voice-enabled technologies particularly for patients recently diagnosed with Type 2...
Orbita announced its Voice Experience Designer at the Connected Health Conference on Monday. The company described the software as a graphical tool healthcare organizations can use to build voice assistants that aid patients in their homes.
“We provide the connectivity services, the orchestration logic for data that comes in and collaboration app for caregivers to communication with patients,”...
After hinting about it in a recent interview, Boston Children's Hospital has officially launched its partnership with Amazon Echo, which gives the voice-powered home appliance a new "skill" that will allow it to give simple health advice to parents about their children's' fever and medication dosing. Called KidsMD, the Alexa app is just the first step in a plan to bring Boston Children's medical...
Under new innovation chief John Brownstein, Boston Children's Hospital is looking both outward and inward for new medical technologies, including some planned work with Amazon's Echo team, Brownstein told Xconomy in a recent interview.
About three months ago, BCH revamped its Innovation Accelerator program into a new accelerator called IDHA (Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator) which draws...
Amazon Echo, the company's Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a voice control hub for connected home devices and services, can now tell Fitbit users about their sleep, activity and weight, the companies announced today. Amazon Echo's personal assistant component goes by the name, Alexa.
“Our integration with Alexa gives you hands-free access to your data, so you can find out when you walk in the...
