Mark Stone/University of Washington Smart heart rhythm monitoring UW researchers develop an AI system for non-contact monitoring of heart rhythm via smart speakers acting as medical devices. University of Washington have shown that these devices can detect cardiac arrests or monitor babies breathing. But what about tracking something even smaller: the minute motion of individual heartbeats in a person sitting in front of a smart speaker? UW researchers have developed a new skill for a smart speaker that monitors regular and irregular heartbeats without physical contact. The system sends inaudible sounds from the speaker out into a room and, based on the way the sounds are reflected back to the speaker, it can identify and monitor individual heartbeats. Because the heartbeat is such a tiny motion on the chest surface, the team's system uses machine learning to help the smart speaker locate signals from regular and irregular heartbeats.