A smart home device contacted 911 on its own and prevented a threatening situation from turning into a tragedy in an incident near Alburquerque, New Mexico, ABC News reported on Sunday.
“The unexpected use of this new technology to contact emergency services has possibly helped save a life,” Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III said. “This amazing technology definitely helped save a mother and her child from a very violent situation."
The Sheriff Department explained that the incident started when Eduardo Barros was house-sitting with his girlfriend and her daughter when the couple started having a physical altercation and he threatened to kill her with a firearm, shouting "Did you call the sheriffs?"
A smart speaker, which was connected to a surround sound system inside the home, recognized that as a voice command and called emergency services, according to the Sheriff Department.
Police said they managed to get the woman and her daughter out of the house, and then Barros was taken into custody after an hours-long stand-off.
Engadget commented that the incident illustrates what security forces will likely have to deal with on a more frequent basis in the future, and that while this case proved to be fortuitous, such devices could also cause widespread havoc by calling police inadvertently in response to innocuous remarks or even dialogue on television shows.
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