Amazon recently received a patent for verbal and ambient kill switches for noise-canceling headphones that acoustically isolate users.
Amazon’s patent, approved last month, could lead to the development of noise-canceling headphones that could be overridden and muted by certain noises or keywords. This could mean the headphones are always listening for something that could indicate danger, like a car horn or emergency vehicle siren. It also means users could program in their own override words, phrases and sounds, such as the user’s name.
Noise-canceling headphones can be great for blocking out noise to be more productive or hear music in crowded areas, but there are certainly risks associated with shutting off people’s senses. Some headphones include manual buttons to turn off the noise-canceling quality, but that relies on the user to do it, rather than an automatic or programmed trigger.
News of Amazon’s new patent was first reported by CNN.
Technology like this wouldn’t be unprecedented for Amazon. The company’s digital assistant Alexa already listens to the sounds around her. The inventors listed on the patent filing for the smart noise-canceling headphones are Benjamin Scott and Mark Rafn, both of whom worked on Alexa and the devices she powers, like Echo.
