When you’re bedridden in a hospital, it’s easy to get frustrated by the little things like being too cold or too hot and not being able to get up and adjust the room temperature. Or maybe you wish that the nurse didn’t leave the blinds open but you just couldn’t muster enough energy to walk around the bed to close it.

What if you could do all that just by saying it? For the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia, the solution to this problem is the audio giant Harman and IBM’s Watson AI technology. Together, they’ve developed smart speakers that will respond to about a dozen commands like play calming sounds, adjust the room’s lighting, thermostat and blinds.

Harman’s round JBL clock radios rely solely on voice commands and the hospital is currently testing about 40 of the new speakers while IBM works with Harman to tweak the smarts as they go, and further improving its capabilities.

Who knows, maybe in the future Watson could follow you home to make sure you’re taking your medications on time or remind you on your upcoming appointments.

Story & image source: CNET