3D-printed "earable" sensor monitors vital signs

Illustration: ACS Sensors

Fitness-tracking wristbands and bracelets have mostly been used to count steps and monitor heart rate and vital signs. Now engineers have made a 3D-printed sensor that can be worn on the ear to continuously track core body temperature for fitness and medical needs.

The “earable” also serves as a hearing aid. And it could be a platform for sensing several other vital signs, says University of California Berkeley electrical engineering and computer science professor Ali Javey.

Body temperature can be measured using invasive oral or rectal readings. Ear thermometers measure infrared energy emitted from the eardrum and are easier to use than more invasive devices. That’s the route Javey and his colleagues took for their earable sensor, reported in the journal ACS Sensors. Read the full story on IEEE Spectrum.