Smart speaker recognizes heart failure to call emergency

Scientists at the University of Washington have added a new tool such as the Amazon Alexa virtual assistant for smart speakers to capture sound that indicates heart failure through breathing and call an ambulance.

According to The Daily Mail, through testing, scientists at the University of Washington, USA, found that the smart speakers equipped with a new tool such as the virtual assistant Amazon Alexa help create emergency services, yes sound can be captured to indicate heart failure and call an ambulance. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body, which often causes the person to make shortness of breath .

Smart speakers and virtual assistants should be placed in the bedroom where cardiac arrest often occurs.

Intelligent speakers determine that cardiac arrest has occurred in 97% of cases, even when the alarm sound is heard at a distance of 6m.

Scientists recommend placing smart speakers with virtual assistants because they develop in the bedroom, where frequent cardiac arrest occurs. Cardiac arrest can be assessed through characteristic agonal breaths (observed in 50% of victims) - folding, gasping and convulsions, reflecting oxygen depletion.

Scientists used the recording of such breaths in 162 emergency calls, trying to analyze them with smart speakers, smartphones and special computer algorithms. This diagnostic system has almost 100% accuracy when the error is only 0.22%.

University of Washington researchers hope this technology will someday be added to smart speakers as a standard to help save lives.

Research author Dr. Shyam Gollakota shared that many people have smart speakers in the house and these devices have great capabilities that we can take advantage of.