The Federal Communications Commission granted a request from Amazon to use radar technology to “enable contactless sleep tracing functionalities” Friday, Bloomberg reported.
Amazon requested permission from the federal agency that regulates radar to market a device with sensors that record movement and gestures. The tech company said in addition to analyzing sleep more precisely, it hopes to use the technology to help people “with mobility, speech, or tactile impairments.”
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“The use of Radar Sensors in sleep tracking could improve awareness and management of sleep hygiene, which in turn could produce significant health benefits for many Americans,” Amazon wrote in its FCC filing.
“Radar Sensors will allow consumers to recognize potential sleep issues.”
Neither what the device does nor how it works were not fully disclosed in the paperwork Amazon filed, Bloomberg said, but the documents confirmed the company is not working on a mobile device.
The Amazon-owned security company Ring has also raised privacy concerns as a result of its video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, according to the Washington Post. The partnerships allow police to request video from Ring for a specific area and time.
The company has also come under fire locally for giving Los Angeles Police Department officers gifts and discounts while encouraging them to suggest the company’s products to community members.
In its letter of approval, the FCC noted it previously approved a request from Google to use radar technology for touchless control of its Pixel phones.
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