Develop of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is one of the special strategies for different technological giants such as Google. After considerable efforts and investments, Google recently unveiled a new innovative idea that used artificial intelligence for baby’s eye tracking and motion detection. Actually, the technology giant's heavy investment in artificial intelligence has even spread to the infants’ cradle. According to the company's recent patent, this highly advanced technology will be used to detect abnormal behaviors of infants and provide necessary alerts to parents.
Artificial intelligence is one of the emerging technologies that has attracted the attention of many researchers and technological companies due to its significant applications. Improving self-driving technology, fighting counterfeit goods, predicting employees’ attrition and decision for job changing, improving the modern collaboration environment, and even accelerating the patent registration and examination processes are only a few number of AI applications.
Interestingly, an international researcher team, filed the first patent applications for a fully independent, non-human inventor, based on AI technology. Imagine a new world where artificial intelligence itself would be patent inventor and some smart robots based on patented technologies produce and exploit new products!
Google's new patent, filed in 2018 and recently released by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent illustrates some parts of company's new technology for monitoring and evaluating eye and body movements as well as baby voice based on “intelligent” audio and video checking system. If any abnormal signs detect with this cloud system, parents will receive an alert and they can react for preventing further unwanted consequences. Remarkably, Amazon and Google have been working to develop and equip their voice assistants with children’s intelligent tracking and monitoring and it seems that due to widespread interest to smartphones it will be welcomed among parents. They can watch their children asleep, and be aware of any abnormal movements in the cradle, such as the constant rotation caused by excessive heat.
It should be noted that like thousands of other applications, Google's new released patent is only a patent application and its commercialization depends on a number of factors, including technology development, Google's commercialization policies, and market demand. However, what differs this patent from other Google’s patents is its relevance with two of the technology giant's favorite areas: “smart homes and baby techs”.
Google announced in May that it would launch its Nest and Google Home products under the same brand name, Google Nest. These products will include security cameras, thermostats and alarm systems. On the other hand, Verily (part of Alphabet’s parent company, which focuses on health data collection and disease prevention), has partnered with a renowned baby diaper brand, Pampers, to develop a smart diaper system, "Lumi". Embedded sensors in this diaper measure the humidity level and provide evaluated data through a mobile app. This set of innovative efforts shows that Google is working hard to make child care more intelligent by using its capabilities in artificial intelligence technology.
