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Amazon's new AI assistant will watch you in your home – but also rate your outfits

It's the company's most capable home device yet

Aatif Sulleyman
Wednesday 26 April 2017 21:11 BST
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The Echo Look will also recommend clothing, and in doing so will nudge you towards Amazon’s shopping pages
The Echo Look will also recommend clothing, and in doing so will nudge you towards Amazon’s shopping pages

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Amazon has just unveiled the Echo Look, the latest addition to its range of voice-enabled assistants.

Unlike its predecessors, the Look is equipped with a camera, which means it can watch, as well as listen to, its users.

It sounds potentially creepy, but the company is marketing the Echo Look as a sort of fashion assistant, and says the device can be used to help you choose an outfit.

“Get a live view in the Echo Look app or ask Alexa to take a short video so you can see yourself from every angle,” says Amazon.

You can also get it to take a full-body picture of you by saying “Alexa, take a picture”.

According to Amazon, the Look’s “depth-sensing” camera is built to capture photographs that are good enough to be shared on social media sites.

However, as it doesn’t feature a screen, you’ll have to fire up the Amazon app on your smartphone to see what it can see.

A feature called Style Check uses machine-learning and “advice from fashion specialists” to rate two photos of you in different outfits and pick the best one, delivering a verdict based on factors including fit, colour, styling, and current trends.

“Over time, these decisions get smarter through your feedback and input from our team of experienced fashion specialists,” says Amazon.

Crucially, the Echo Look will also recommend clothing, and in doing so will nudge you towards Amazon’s shopping pages.

Like the other members of the Echo family, the Look also features a microphone and a speaker, so you can converse with it, and ask it to automate compatible IoT devices.

It's currently available in the US by invitation only, where it costs $199.99.

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