Google’s next Nest Hub could use radar to track your sleep, and I have questions

Earlier this week, we reported that Google may be working on an updated Nest Hub with Soli technology and a report from 9to5Google now suggests that it might be for something unexpected: sleep tracking.

If you’re not familiar, Soli is Google’s radar technology used to detect gestures and human presence. It was first introduced in the Pixel 4 (which was discontinued in August), and while it’s not in any of Google’s current Pixel devices, it’s now showing up in smart home devices, like the Nest Thermostat. .

So there is a precedent for Google to include the technology in its smart home devices. And the Nest Hub already looks a bit like an alarm clock, and since it doesn’t have a built-in camera, it may be more accepted in the bedroom for sleep tracking. But I still have a few questions on how this might work.

As almost all sleep aid advertisements point out, we all sleep differently. So far, Soli has been fairly close range, so what if you roll over to the other side of the bed? Will he lose your track? What if you have a pet that likes to come and lie down by (or on) your head? Will he start to follow their movement instead?

There is also the problem of nightstands. Those who own nightstands may have them in totally different places than where they sleep, and some may not have any at all. So far, Soli has only been used directionally, so it’s unclear how Google would handle motion and presence detection at different angles and distances.

Maybe Google will surprise us and make it all clear when the product is announced, or maybe sleep tracking will only work under certain circumstances. Despite my questions, however, I think there are many more ways that having motion controls in an alarm clock makes sense.

I’m not necessarily able to speak consistently when I first wake up, so being able, as my colleague suggested, to wave my hand wildly at the Nest Hub to turn off an alarm would be a good trick. People who wake up to music can also signal to skip a song if the one that’s playing isn’t how they want to start their day.

If all of this intrigues you, the 9to5Google The report says the Soli-enabled Nest Hub is expected to arrive at some point this year. The FCC filings that hit this week could also indicate that the product could arrive soon. While they don’t always guarantee that a product will be released, sometimes we see them before official product announcements.