The wrist band uses what Amazon describes as artificial intelligence software to monitor a range of personal wellness metrics, from physical activity to sleep and even mood. The device’s features include 3D scans for body fat and voice-tone detection to analyse emotion. The related Halo service will come with an app, and users will be able to connect their accounts to third-party programs to further monitor weight and health.
But the company was widely expected to enter the wearable devices category, a market that researcher Gartner estimated would rack up US$52bil in sales in 2020, primarily smartwatches. Bloomberg reported last year that Amazon was working on a wearable device capable of recognising human emotions. The company is offering invite-only early access to the Halo beginning Thursday with an introductory price of US$64.99 that includes six months of the service for free. Insurer John Hancock, a unit of Manulife Financial Corp, said on Thursday that it would let customers link Amazon Halo data to a wellness programme geared toward rewarding customers for healthier habits.