Google's R&D team has looked into making internet-connected toys that control smart home appliances.
=20150521<=20151231)&OS=AN/"Google"+AND+PD/5/21/2015-<12/31/2015&RS=(AN/"Google"+AND+PD/20150521-<20151231)&PageNum=&Rtype=§ionNum=&idkey=1EF5AB92E988" target="_blank">The firm has published a patent that describes devices that would turn their heads towards users and listen to what they were saying, before sending commands to remote computer servers.
The three-year old patent was spotted recently by the technology law firm SmartUp.
It described the proposal as "one of Google’s creepiest patents yet".
Privacy campaigners have also raised concerns.
A spokeswoman for Google was unable to say whether this was a product the firm might develop and sell.
"We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with" she said.
"Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications" she added.
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