A Smart Home device essentially saved a life in New Mexico as it listened to a heated dispute between a couple and subsequently called 911. The authorities rushed in and broke off the confrontation in the spur of the moment.
Smart Home becomes the hero
As you may know, a Smart Home is a smart speaker device that uses Digital Assistant as its primary software. It can listen and recognize users’ voices well enough to distinguish them from any other person. For example Google Home and Amazon Echo.
It is a smart home device that allows you to literally ‘Google’ anything with just your voice. You can ask it anything, and it will give an appropriate reply.
However, the capabilities of a Smart Home device may have been quite underestimated until the incident took place and gave the device an opportunity to serve as the savior of the day.
The confrontation
ABC News recently reported that Eduardo Barros was apparently having a fight with his girlfriend when Barros pointed a gun at his girlfriend and asked her whether she called the sheriff. According to reports, “Did you call the sheriffs?” is what he said.
A Smart Home device nearby heard only part of the question and understood it as “Call the Sheriffs.” This prompted the device to dial 911. The police stated that once they received the call, they heard background noises.
Later, the police arrived, and after a long negotiation, the SWAT team decided to take Barros into custody and reported that the girlfriend was slightly injured. Barros’ daughter was also present at the scene but was not harmed in any way.
Sherriff Manuel Gonzales commented that the device has literally helped the police save a life. As for Barros, he has been charged with having a weapon in his house, along with committing battery against his girlfriend.
It is still unclear whether the device was Google Home, Amazon Echo or some other brand.
Is Smart Home device a savior?
In this instance, it definitely is. However, owners of the device are certainly not comfortable with the fact that an electronic device always has its ears open and listens to almost everything that is being talked about in a house.
In fact, Smart Home device is just one of many devices that have such listening capabilities. Recently, the Amazon Echo was used to extract data in order to get some lead in a murder case.
Although Amazon initially refused to provide the data stored in its servers, it later agreed to offer when the defendant gave permission.
