Your Earphones And Headphones As Health And Medical Devices

Most of us have likely used headphones, so far, mostly as entertainment accessories. These devices are now set for a digital health upgrade as companies are designing headphones as hearing aids and health tracking devices. 

Tech Giant Apple popularised the approach with a free update to the AirPods Pro 2 that makes it function as a clinical-grade hearing aid. The FDA even approved the Apple AirPods Pro’s Hearing Aid Feature as the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device in 2024. Other companies are also investigating this approach and headphones could be on track to become the next smartwatch, or a so-called hearable. 

As hearing loss affects about 1.5 billion people globally, these tech-driven solutions can expand access to personalised, high-quality hearing support. In this article, we consider the rising trend of headphones being adapted as health and medical devices.

What makes headphones adequate digital health tools?

When thinking about headphones, their use as health devices is not what initially comes to mind. But given more thought, they are actually quite well suited for such purposes. The anatomy of the auditory canal makes it a well suited location for health sensing with in-ear headphones like the AirPods. It is located close to the brain, major blood vessels, and nerves, which enables physiological measurements to be made.

Its blood supply by the deep ear artery means that heart rate and blood pressure can be measured; and hearables have been used for such measurements. In medical practice, it is common to obtain the core body temperature by measuring it in the ear. Headphones could take such readings while also monitoring the user’s movements, breathing rate and sleep.

In many cases, companies can already provide some health features to their existing headphones, without the need for extra hardware. This is because, with proper seal, the microphones within headphones can detect or record bio-signals such as heart and respiratory rate.  Apple took a similar approach to the AirPods Pro 2 which obtained its health features via a free software update, and other companies could follow suit.

From a social perspective, users might be better able to adopt headphones as health aids and monitors considering that we are already familiar with these devices. This can also address any potential stigmas or even cost issues with using traditional hearing aids. In fact, companies are thinking of headphones as more than hearing aids but also for general health tracking to smartwatches. In the next section, we look at some of the examples.

How headphones can be used as health and medical devices

There are several ways that companies are adapting headphones for healthcare uses. While this approach is relatively new, we can group the current examples into three general categories.

1. General health tracking

As a consumer product, headphones can be easily used for general health tracking akin to smartwatches. In some cases, such as during exercise, headphones can even provide more accurate measurements than smartwatches. Sennheiser’s Momentum Sport earbuds leverage this upside and double as a fitness tracker with heart rate and temperature monitoring.

The Apple AirPods enable hearing tracking at home, reduce exposure to loud environmental noise and users can even receive assistance for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. Such options of the device can provide a more preventative approach to hearing loss among users.

2. Increasing accessibility

Other companies are developing headphones to assist people in other ways as well. The NAQI Neural earbuds can allow users to control devices by registering movements of the head and facial muscles. This can greatly improve the daily interactions of people with limited mobility. 

Some are pairing headphones with smart glasses to improve communication. The Hearview glasses is one such example which displays real-time text on the glasses to enhance communication for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. 

Smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and the Brilliant Labs Frame offers the opportunity to help those with limited eyesight to navigate the world. Paired with headphones, they convert visual information detected by the glasses’ camera into audible translations. For example, they can describe surroundings and items, as well as read out text and provide navigation guidance.

Headphones are also being used by medical professionals to assist them in their practices. Researchers have used noise-cancelling headphones to reduce patients’ stress level during surgeries.

The custom biometric wearable, Aware Hearable, has been designed for ambulatory recording of a range of parameters. The Hearable can monitor electroencephalogram (EEG), photoplethysmogram (PPG), heart rate (EKG/ECG), core temperature, and bioimpedance. It also allows for accurate readings and medical-grade brain data collection.

Will the future of health tracking be in the ear?

This recent trend in adapting headphones as health and medical devices is surely worth keeping an eye on. The ubiquity of headphones in our society makes them promising contenders as digital health tools. 

As Sam Kellett, Jr, CEO of Aware, told us in an interview: “This technology democratises access to crucial health data, enabling continuous monitoring without specialised equipment or hospital stays, thereby enhancing our understanding of neurological health and improving disease management.”

For instance, despite over 30 million Americans suffering from hearing loss, only about 15% use hearing aids, with accessibility and affordability being a major barrier. Headphones could close that gap, while also doubling as regular health monitoring tools

However, headphones might not be the preferred form factor for a health tracker by some. Depending on the size, they can be bulky and uncomfortable or easy to misplace. But the advantages that such devices present should not be overlooked. We can expect a future where headphones commonly integrate health features and they will be available in the market parallel to smartwatches.

Written by Dr. Bertalan Meskó & Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunn