Google (GOOGL  ) recently unveiled its new second-generation Nest Hub, which is a smart display and speaker that tracks sleeping patterns with the usage of a built-in radar sensor.

In launching this new next-gen item, Google plans to showcase its level of competition of smart home hubs with other companies such as Amazon (AMZN  ) and Facebook (FB  ). Some of its features include video streaming services, weather forecast checking, and the receiving of various alerts.

The most intriguing facet of the Nest Hub, however, is likely to be the radar sensor. Users of the radar sensor have the ability to place the radar sensor wherever they may be sleeping, and the setup guide for a process known as "Sleep Sensing" will pinpoint where exactly the individual is sleeping in bed.

Keeping track of micromovements and other types of chest movements is another feature that Google will have. It will also have a microphone to keep track of snoring, coughing, or other factors, such as room temperature and brightness of lights. At the end of the sleep assessment conducted by Google, it will recommend certain activities or suggestions, such as going to bed earlier or later, or doing nightly meditations in order to help oneself feel more relaxed and at ease.

Although the Nest Hub seems to be all-knowing, it still does not come with a camera, so it cannot see what users are doing in bed. The radar sensor appears as a series of jumbled lines, and is strategically placed near the users' beds to detect when they are moving or sleeping. The radar and audio data is kept on the device, assessed by Google, and is optionally kept by the users themselves.

The type of data that Google keeps track of is sleep duration, consistency, and restfulness. It comes with length of sleep, sleep consistency, and overall restfulness score. Sleeping, coughing, and snoring are taken account for, as well as any times that the individual may have gotten out of bed. Sleep cycle patterns, such as REM sleep, are not being counted for, but the device may do so in the future.

Susheel Patil, clinical director of Johns Hopkins Pulmonary Sleep Medicine Program, told The Verge, "I tend to trust when the devices might tell me someone is awake, verses when someone is asleep. But I don't put a lot of emphasis on the differentiation between light sleep and deep sleep."

There are many different factors that impact one's ability to sleep at night. Google, in the attempts to study these factors, created the Nest Hub. Although it may not be able to encapsulate every single factor that comes with sleep, the Nest Hub will come up with significant data that may aid individuals who struggle to sleep, and to give them ideas for future sleeping habit formations.