Google wants to release a sensor to watch you while you sleep

Google has filed a patent for a sleep tracking device that utilizes infrared technology to tell you how well you're sleeping.

The device uses infrared sensors to monitor the user as they sleep, and identify their sleep patterns based upon their heart rate and breathing. 

The patent suggests the device would need to be attached to a user's bedroom ceiling.

Whether this tech will be able to differentiate between two people is also unclear, so you may not be able to use the sensor when you're sleeping next to somebody else.

The ever watching eye

There are already a number of different methods of sleep tracking on the market including fitness trackers, apps and even sensors you can put inside your bed sheets. 

Plus Apple has recently acquired Beddit, so we are also expecting a sleep tracking app on the Apple Watch 2 sometime soon.

The problem with most of these methods of sleep tracking is that wearing a device on your wrist or having your phone under your pillow is fairly disruptive to sleep, which makes the sleep tracker slightly redundant.

This is just a patent for now so there is no guarantee that the device will ever see the light of day, but we wonder how many people would want to buy a device and attach it to their bedroom ceiling just to be able to track sleep.

Via Digital Trends

Andrew London

Andrew London is a writer at Velocity Partners. Prior to Velocity Partners, he was a staff writer at Future plc.