Amazon wants to track your sleep

The FCC gave Amazon approval to use airwaves for radar sensors that would aid the management of sleep hygiene.

Amazon Echo digital assistant

Amazon has scored U.S. permission to use radar to monitor consumers’ sleep habits.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the online giant approval to use a radar sensor to sense motion and “enable contactless sleep tracing functionalities.”

Previously, on June 22, Amazon asked the FCC for permission to market a device that uses radar. The technology captures movement in three dimensions, enabling a user to control its features through simple gestures and movements, the company explained in a filing.

The capability could help people “with mobility, speech, or tactile impairments,” and it could also double as a sleep monitoring tool with a high degree of precision.

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. Radar Sensors will allow consumers to recognize potential sleep issues.

The company, however, didn’t fully describe the device in its filing, but did say it would not be a mobile device. Rather, it could be one of Amazon’s Echo smart speakers.

The FCC earlier granted similar permission to Google for radar to enable touchless control of Pixel smartphones.

On its end, Amazon has been pushing hard in the health and wellness space with a slew of products and services.