Smart bracelet that jams smart speaker microphones like Alexa

Smart speakers like Apple Siri and Amazon Alexa got into controversy when they were accused of leaking the talk about their owner. This was accepted by Amazon itself, last year. Amazon had said it had hundreds of users ‘ voice recordings which their staff had heard. This was seen as a breach of user privacy.

Scientists have designed a bracelet to tackle this problem that will jam the microphone in the smart speakers. No-one will be able to listen to their users with this. Scientists have said it is currently designed as a model for a prototype. Scientists think building it will cost just 1400 rupees.

The bracelet is created by team from the University of Chicago. He named it Silence Bracelet. It has 23 speakers. These speakers emit an ultrasonic signal which prevents leaking of the bracelet wearer. Scientists think this device can be used to stop spying. Scientists said we designed this technology as a bracelet so it can use the natural gestures of the user. It reads whilst talking about the hand movements that occur.

Natural user movement to turn on:
– Professor Pedro Lopes, assistant at the University of Chicago, said you can activate this bracelet in real time while talking to your partner in private conversation. That way, smart speakers won’t be able to record things. However, when the user starts talking this bracelet becomes automatic, because it uses the natural movement of the user to turn on. Inside it, it has web generators that generate ultrasonic jamming signal, producing web up to 12.5MHz.
– It has a microprocessor, an indicator for LED states and a lithium polymer battery, in addition. Scientists said up to 96 per cent of smart speakers are blocked by this wearable device. It’s currently being developed as a prototype. The cost of making it would be around 1400 rupees, he further explained.