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Ear’s the thing.

I'm Bob Karson with the Discovery Files, from NSF -- the U.S. National Science Foundation.

There’s new research in mobile tech that might catch your ear. A team at Illinois State University is looking to transform earphones – right now just a smartphone accessory -- into next gen “Earables”. Multifunctional, wearable devices with their own hardware, software and apps built in.

Some of the research the team’s working on: How about a 3-D virtual voice guide…just follow the direction the voice seems to be coming from, to find, say, a store inside a mall. [earable voice: walk this way or follow me.] The team looked at ways a smart earpiece could sense taps of the teeth (cartoon teeth chatter) to control a device hands-free. They’re experimenting with sensing facial movements too (cartoon face shake) And detecting the direction of a sound to home in more closely on, perhaps, a single voice.

Other applications (heartbeat) could continuously monitor health conditions, track user motion, or offer seamless security. Smart assistants could whisper just-in-time information.

With support from NSF, real people are lending their ears as the team is testing new algorithms for earable technologies. Combining the expertise from a wide range of fields, -- sensing, signal processing, embedded systems, communications, and machine learning.

And sticking ‘em…right in your ear.

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