Waving arms found to trigger Nest Protect false alarms
Occurred: April 2014
Report incident 🔥 | Improve page 💁 | Access database 🔢
An AI-powered algorithm that enables users of a Nest smoke alarm system to silence the product by waving their arms was found to be faulty, resulting in a product recall.
Wave was supposed to enable users to silence a warning issued by the new Nest Protect smoke and CO (carbon monoxide) alarm product by waving their hand in front of the detector.
However, lab tests after the product's launch revealed that the it's AI-powered "Wave" algorithm could be unintentionally activated during a real fire, resulting in a delayed response to real danger.
The algorithm used motion detection technology to interpret physical gestures and deactivate the alarm when necessary.
Nest halted sales of it's Protect smoke and CO alarm and pushed out a series of software updates, including one that disabled the Wave algorithm for existing users.
The company also recalled 440,000 of the devices.
System 🤖
Wave
Operator: Alphabet/Google/Nest
Developer: Alphabet/Google/Nest
Country: USA
Sector: Consumer goods
Purpose: Disable alarm
Technology: Machine learning
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Safety
Legal, regulatory 👩🏼⚖️
US Consumer Product Safety Commission (2014). Nest Labs recalls to repair Nest Protect Smoke CO Alarms
News, commentary, analysis 🗞️
https://thenextweb.com/google/2014/04/03/nest-halts-sales-nest-protect-alarm-fix-accidental-disabling-issue/
https://gizmodo.com/nest-halts-sale-of-protect-over-safety-concerns-1557829251
https://gizmodo.com/nest-is-recalling-its-protect-smoke-alarm-1579734411
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nest-labs-halts-sales-of-nest-protect-over-safety-concerns/
https://www.techhive.com/article/2602213/software-update-will-help-nest-protect-know-the-difference-between-steam-and-smoke.html
https://venturebeat.com/2014/09/04/nests-smart-smoke-detector-gets-a-big-software-update-alert-history-co-levels-more/
Page info
Type: Issue
Published: August 2023