Voice Activated IoT Devices for Healthcare: Design Challenges and Emerging Applications

The recent pandemic forced substantial changes in our lives, including the way we interact with physical objects. For example, voice-activated systems that enable users to communicate with them through speech commands are becoming more pervasive. At the same time, recent technology developments delivered voice capability to Internet of Things (IoT) devices with low-power audio transducers. Voice-activated IoT devices have the potential to engage patients and caregivers in new and cost-efficient ways, from telehealth and digital health, to portable diagnostics and remotely delivered care. In this brief, we review voice activated IoT devices, discuss their trends, and identify unique challenges when these devices are used in the healthcare sector. Furthermore, we discuss some future application scenarios and their characteristics.