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A smart speaker like an Amazon Echo could actually be used to diagnose a heart problem with the help of a new technology. How does it work?   joined Seattle’s Morning News to discuss the technology they helped develop.

“This technology is essentially a sort of modified form of Alexis speaker that uses already commercially available technology. And what the computer science department did is develop an algorithm inside the speaker to filter out a lot of noise so it can essentially focus on detecting one specific part of the cardiac physical exam, which is the apical impulse,” Nguyen said.

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The smart speaker sends out a sound that bounces off the person’s chest, and then returns to the device in a form that captures the heartbeat.

“If you put your hand on your left chest, you can actually feel your heartbeat. So what it does, essentially, is it acts like a sonar. It bounces sound waves off the chest and receives that information back, and it processes it through this program, and it can essentially detect a heart rate.”

The technology can be used for virtual exams, along with more casual uses.

“So this is something that patients can use if they have it just lying around their home, they can use it to detect their heart rate or their heart rhythm and, say, send that information to their cardiologist via an online physical exam through a telehealth visit,” Nguyen added. “Or if they’re curious as to what heart rhythm they’re in, they can use it just for their own personal interest.”

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How accurate is this compared to the instruments used in the hospital?

“Yes, so it’s not as accurate as those wired systems that capture our electronic signals,” Wang responded. “It’s good for home use and preventive care.”

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