Google Can Turn ANC Earbuds Into a Heart Rate Monitor With No Extra Hardware

Abner Li reports via 9to5Google: Google today detailed its research into audioplethysmography (APG) that adds heart rate sensing capabilities to active noise canceling (ANC) headphones and earbuds "with a simple software upgrade." Google says the "ear canal [is] an ideal location for health sensing" given that the deep ear artery "forms an intricate network of smaller vessels that extensively permeate the auditory canal."

This audioplethysmography approach works by "sending a low intensity ultrasound probing signal through an ANC headphone's speakers. This signal triggers echoes, which are received via on-board feedback microphones. We observe that the tiny ear canal skin displacement and heartbeat vibrations modulate these ultrasound echoes." A model that Google created works to process that feedback into a heart rate reading, as well as heart rate variability (HRV) measurement. This technique works even with music playing and "bad earbuds seals." However, it was impacted by body motion, and Google countered with a multi-tone approach that serves as a calibration tool to "find the best frequency that measures heart rate, and use only the best frequency to get high-quality pulse waveform."

Google performed two sets of studies with 153 people that found APG "achieves consistently accurate heart rate (3.21% median error across participants in all activity scenarios) and heart rate variability (2.70% median error in inter-beat interval) measurements." Compared to existing HR sensors, it's not impacted by skin tones. Ear canal size and "sub-optimal seal conditions" also do not impact accuracy. Google believes this is a better approach than putting traditional photoplethysmograms (PPG) and electrocardiograms (ECG) sensors, as well as a microcontroller, in headphones/earbuds: "this sensor mounting paradigm inevitably adds cost, weight, power consumption, acoustic design complexity, and form factor challenges to hearables, constituting a strong barrier to its wide adoption."

And?

[sixminuteabs]

Regardless of whether people actually want their real time health data seen by an advertising monopoly, how many times have we been told to buy Google hardware not because of what it can do but what they say it might do someday?

Re:

[Baron_Yam]

>Who cares about being able to monitor a heart rate? Its a useless metric.

It doesn't need to be clinical grade to be useful. I still wouldn't use a device that Google touched, I don't know what they could do datamining even low-grade consumer health data, but I don't want to find out, either.

Re:

[boulat]

I can see the application from Google's perspective:

They will play an ad, and record your heart rate data - did you get excited, you consumer hoe? More Ad From That Cluster For You!

Its so obvious as to be banal to even discuss.

Re:

[Baron_Yam]

Modded flamebait... so apparently Google has fanbois on Slashdot. Whodathunkit?

Or it could be that someone believes it's totally irrational to think Google's datamining us in ever-increasingly pervasive and invasive ways without any respect for our privacy, but I have trouble believing such a person could have enough of an IQ to operate a computer to moderate Slashdot posts.

Re:

[tlhIngan]

>Who cares about being able to monitor a heart rate? Its a useless metric.

It doesn't need to be clinical grade to be useful. I still wouldn't use a device that Google touched, I don't know what they could do datamining even low-grade consumer health data, but I don't want to find out, either.

Elevated heart rate can be an indicator for many times - interest, for example. See a photo of something you want? Your heart rate can jump a bit, serving as a nice "show me more of this" trigger.

If you're speaking,

Re:

[backslashdot]

If measuring heart rate is a "useless" metric why do the do it at every checkup? Why do many fitness machines have a heart rate sensor installed? I wouldn't want heart rate data going to some advertising purpose but it's dumb to call it a useless metric. Of course an EKG is 100x better, but let me know when you can make one that get get 12 lead EKG using maybe earbuds and watch combo. Maybe it can monitor for strokes too.

Re:

[boulat]

A heartrate is a useful metric when used by an experienced person with context and to address a specific symptom.

For example:

If heartrate is too low (under 60), your cardiac output (which is stroke volume * heart rate) may be too low to support your brain perfusion, and result in your fainting, your heart getting too little oxygenated blood and going into a cycle of failures (premature junctional/ventricular beats, more oxygen starvation, ventricular fibrillation, asystole, then death)

If heartrate is too hi

Re:

[zeeky boogy doog]

Or, uh, I dunno, I wanna know how hard I'm really working when I'm pushing it during a workout?

And depending on exactly how hard I'm pushing it, maybe to know when my heart rate is up into the danger zone?

Re:

[backslashdot]

Zactly.

Re: Useless

[Cincinnati2]

This is probably for exercising. Knowing when your heart rate is peaking, and estimating calories burned.

Re:

[ceoyoyo]

Lol, 3 lead ECG. If you're not doing high frame rate cardiac MRI it's useless garbage!

Lots of people use heart rate monitors for exercise that range from the finger-on-the-wrist method to a chest band. Lots of people also wear earbuds when exercising. An option to turn the latter into the former would be useful.

Much Kudos

[bill_mcgonigle]

We might give Google a hard time here but this is really excellent, innovative work.

Now let's see if the FDA stalls it from market for ten years.

Re: Much Kudos

[sixminuteabs]

Youâ(TM)ll see ads about your heart rate thatâ(TM)s all that can be guaranteed

Re:

[chihowa]

Yeah, anything coming from Google is automatically suspect. "Creepy advertising company finds a new intrusive way to collect more personal user data from deployed products. Shares some of it with users."

Working on cool science and tech for Google must be as frustrating as working for Microsoft Research must be. Do cool research to either have it completely ignored or twisted into some evil money grab.

Samsung buds had this also

[bumblebees]

My old Samsung buds had this feature also. So nothing really new here...

Batteries

[SaBumNim]

This sounds energy intensive. Now my earbuds will last 20 minutes?

Bombarding eardrum with ultra sounds so close?

[Mike Zilva]

Is is just me or I'm afraid that even if you don't hear it, it could cause vibrations in tympanic membrane and create some motion dead zone filtered noise or cause loss in sensitivity with prolonged exposure..

What is the point

[DarkRookie2]

Ok. I have a medical sensor now. It is telling me I am unheathly. I knew that.
Still cant afford the doctors so it doesnt matter. Waste of battery power.