A picture shows the logo of the online retailer Amazon dispalyed on computer screens in London on December 11, 2014. (Photo : Getty Images/Leon Neal )
Amazon wants to make the world a better place by planning to make noise cancelling headphones that will notify the wearer if someone calls their name.
One of the persistent problems of those who often use headphones is that they are unable to hear when someone is calling them even if they are in the same room. This is probably because of the loud volume or the noise cancelling features of some models which completely prevent the user from hearing anything else outside the headphone.
While noise cancelling or noise cancellation headphones do work wonders for audiophiles who want to enjoy their music, it can be very annoying for the people around them who want to call their attention. Amazon has now been awarded a patent that would analyze if the sounds around the headphone wearer turns out to be someone calling their name in order for the device to stop the music or sounds from their phone, The Guardian has learned.
Another useful feature of the patent is that it could also automatically recognize common sounds electronic devices such as doorbells or alarms inside a home. It would be a welcome feature for those who tend to wear noise cancelling headphones when they are home.
Amazon's patent is titled "Suspending Noise Cancellation Using Keyword Spotting," Digital Trends reported. Other possible applications in the patent technology is for the headphone to recognize train station announcements or ringing phones.
What makes the patent more interesting is that it states that the tech would be able to improve its noise cancellation based on the things that would need to push through the sounds. If the user turns on the music again after a faulty recognition from the tech, it would learn that the sound is supposed to be cancelled and not part of the actual keyword spotting.
Unfortunately, Amazon themselves have not yet commented or confirmed whether they will be actually making a product with the noise cancellation keyword spotting tech. However, the tech could also be used for their Amazon Echo-powered devices as they could also alert the user if someone is trying to call them while their wireless speakers are on full blast.
