[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":164},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-the-future-of-health-tracking-with-earables":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":162,"relatedBooks":163},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":33,"project_category":34,"contact_email_category":35,"yst_prominent_words":36,"class_list":46,"better_featured_image":55,"acf":99,"yoast_meta":107,"_links":109},60247,"2026-01-29T09:47:16","2026-01-29T08:47:16",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=60247&_wpnonce=fc5f2b7d95&status=auto-draft&type=post","2026-01-29T09:47:17","2026-01-29T08:47:17","the-future-of-health-tracking-with-earables","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-future-of-health-tracking-with-earables",{"rendered":17},"The Future Of Health Tracking With Earables",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>Try to think of a wearable device. Chances are that you thought of a wrist-worn gadget like a smartwatch or fitness band. The wrist has, for a considerable amount of time, been the centre of health tracking. However, this body part might soon not be the only focus for monitoring one’s health and fitness. In fact, sales for traditional wrist-worn fitness trackers \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.circana.com\u002Fpost\u002Fspending-on-fitness-trackers-grows-88-in-2025-circana-reports\">have declined by 6%\u003C\u002Fa> between 2024 and 2025. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.circana.com\u002Fpost\u002Fspending-on-fitness-trackers-grows-88-in-2025-circana-reports\">interest and growing sales in smart rings\u003C\u002Fa> could indicate a shift from wrist to finger tracking, another body part points to a more promising and versatile future for health tracking: the ear. This is the upcoming age of earables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What are earables and what can they do?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>With the inevitable neologisms that accompany new technologies, one can easily get mixed up with the terms, so let’s get them right! In the field of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-evolution-of-fitness-tracking\">health tracking\u003C\u002Fa>, ‘wearable’ is the general term for a device that is worn, whether as a clip-on or strap. A wearable device that is worn in the ear is called an ‘\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sciencedirect.com\u002Fscience\u002Farticle\u002Fpii\u002FS2950435X25000599\">earable\u003C\u002Fa>’. Within the group of earable technologies are ‘\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fheadphones-as-health-and-medical-devices\">hearables\u003C\u002Fa>’, which are ear-worn wearables focused on audio, such as hearing aids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Now, what makes the ear attractive for health tracking is its anatomy. Being close to the brain, major blood vessels, and nerves, its location is prime for physiological measurements. These include brainwaves, eye movements, cardiovascular signals, respiratory metrics, step counts, and temperature, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sciencedirect.com\u002Fscience\u002Farticle\u002Fpii\u002FS2950435X25000599\">among others\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373-768x432.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51515\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_373.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp>Earables can not only monitor these metrics \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Farticles\u002FPMC10384007\u002F\">more accurately\u003C\u002Fa> than wrist-worn devices, but they are also \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sciencedirect.com\u002Fscience\u002Farticle\u002Fpii\u002FS2950435X25000599\">capable of sensory stimulation\u003C\u002Fa> via acoustic, electrical, and vibrotactile inputs, thanks to their proximity to a richly innervated and vascularized area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Health and fitness uses of earables\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The bio-sensing and bio-stimulating potentials of earables are being actively investigated in research and practical scenarios. The idea is that the ubiquity of ear-worn devices, such as earpods, will make them easily adopted as the next wave of health and fitness trackers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Adapting Apple’s \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.apple.com\u002Fnewsroom\u002F2024\u002F10\u002Fhow-apple-developed-the-worlds-first-end-to-end-hearing-health-experience\u002F\">AirPods as clinical-grade hearing aids\u003C\u002Fa> has been among the first wave of earables. Sennheiser iterated on this form factor to double its \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sennheiser-hearing.com\u002Fen-US\u002Fp\u002Fmomentum-sport\u002F\">Momentum Sport earbuds\u003C\u002Fa> as a fitness tracker with heart rate and temperature monitoring. In 2025, Samsung shared that it is \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnews.samsung.com\u002Fglobal\u002Fsamsungs-breakthrough-wearable-technologies-driven-by-innovation-and-collaboration\">working on the Ear-EEG\u003C\u002Fa>, a device worn around the ear that unobstrusively monitors brainwaves. Its accuracy is comparable to traditional scalp-based EEG systems, and the company is investigating its use for entertainment and mental health management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is not only Tech Giants that are investing in earables, but startups are taking a keen interest in this emerging sector. One example is EarSwitch’s EarMetrics, a sensor that can be integrated into existing hearing aids to monitor several biosignals. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Another one comes from \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mindmics.com\u002F\">MindMics\u003C\u002Fa>, which is leveraging physiological vibrations to provide cardiovascular health insights. This approach \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.team-consulting.com\u002Fus\u002Finsights\u002Fearables-unlocking-the-future-of-wearable-health-monitoring\u002F\">can bypass the limitations\u003C\u002Fa> of light-based technology (commonly used in wrist-worn wearables), where biosignals are dependent on individual features such as skin thickness and skin tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In terms of bio-stimulation, companies \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.team-consulting.com\u002Fus\u002Finsights\u002Fearables-unlocking-the-future-of-wearable-health-monitoring\u002F\">are investigating vagus nerve stimulation\u003C\u002Fa> via earables for non-invasive treatment of conditions such as epilepsy and depression. The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnurosym.com\u002Fen-gb\">Neurosym\u003C\u002Fa> smart earclip is marketed as a “neuromodulation device” that allows users to tailor their vagus nerve stimulation. The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fzenbud.health\u002Fpages\u002Ftechnology\">ZenBud\u003C\u002Fa> uses ultrasound to stimulate the nerve to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are other earables targeting different use cases, such as EarSwitch’s \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.earswitch.co.uk\u002Fearcontrol\">EarControl\u003C\u002Fa> that allows users to control devices via small movements and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.medicaldevice-network.com\u002Fnews\u002Fstat-health-launches-first-in-ear-wearable-to-measure-blood-flow\u002F\">STAT Health’s in-ear device\u003C\u002Fa> that can predict if a person is about to faint. With the possibilities of earables, we are likely to witness a surge of these devices for various use cases in the coming years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Practical challenges for an earable future\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The future of in-ear health monitoring sounds promising; however, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sciencedirect.com\u002Fscience\u002Farticle\u002Fpii\u002FS2950435X25000599\">as recent research highlights\u003C\u002Fa>, this is contingent on certain usability factors. Simple activities such as talking or moving can induce artefacts that will impact the quality of biosignals detected and the reliability of readings. This might be addressed with supportive algorithms, but these come with their own concerns of biased training dataset that might impact the performance of earables based on, for example, age and skin tone. Furthermore, earables will require validation to ensure that they can be used as reliable tools in healthcare settings. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Even if these obstacles are overcome, long-term adoption of earables will depend on factors such as comfort, ease of use and social intrusiveness. If people don’t find such devices comfortable or convenient to use, their health tracking accuracy won’t matter much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While earables are still nascent as a category of health and fitness trackers, they offer a decent base to build new digital health tools that can further empower people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Written by Dr. Bertalan Meskó & Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunnoo\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Try to think of a wearable device. Chances are that you thought of a wrist-worn gadget like a smartwatch or fitness band. The wrist has, […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",16,58249,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32],521,496,[],[],[],[37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45],1571,1907,3327,3523,3833,3841,4295,5529,6007,[47,14,48,49,50,51,52,53,54],"post-60247","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-future-medicine","category-health-sensors-trackers",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":56,"media_details":57,"post":97,"source_url":98},"image",{"width":58,"height":59,"file":60,"filesize":61,"sizes":62,"image_meta":94},3000,1687,"2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432.png",313158,{"medium":63,"large":70,"thumbnail":76,"medium_large":81,"1536x1536":82,"2048x2048":88},{"file":64,"width":65,"height":66,"mime-type":67,"filesize":68,"source_url":69},"tmf_article_432-370x208.png",370,208,"image\u002Fpng",20251,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432-370x208.png",{"file":71,"width":72,"height":73,"mime-type":67,"filesize":74,"source_url":75},"tmf_article_432-768x432.png",768,432,48373,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432-768x432.png",{"file":77,"width":78,"height":78,"mime-type":67,"filesize":79,"source_url":80},"tmf_article_432-150x150.png",150,11331,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432-150x150.png",{"file":71,"width":72,"height":73,"mime-type":67,"filesize":74,"source_url":75},{"file":83,"width":84,"height":85,"mime-type":67,"filesize":86,"source_url":87},"tmf_article_432-1536x864.png",1536,864,114972,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432-1536x864.png",{"file":89,"width":90,"height":91,"mime-type":67,"filesize":92,"source_url":93},"tmf_article_432-2048x1152.png",2048,1152,167897,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432-2048x1152.png",{"aperture":95,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":95,"copyright":27,"focal_length":95,"iso":95,"shutter_speed":95,"title":27,"orientation":95,"keywords":96},"0",[],58217,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Ftmf_article_432.png",{"subtitle":27,"key_takeaways":100,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"related_books":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"related_posts":20},[101,103,105],{"title":102},"\u003Cp>For years, the wrist has been the focus of wearable health tracking, but the ear indicates a more promising and versatile future for monitoring biosignals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":104},"\u003Cp>Earables, or ear-worn wearables, can track health metrics and stimulate senses thanks to their proximity to a richly innervated and vascularized area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":106},"\u003Cp>While Big Tech and startups are investing in this emerging sector, an earable-first future is contingent upon overcoming certain obstacles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"yoast_wpseo_title":108,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":27,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"The Future Of Health Tracking With Earables - The Medical Futurist",{"self":110,"collection":116,"about":119,"author":122,"replies":125,"version-history":128,"predecessor-version":132,"wp:featuredmedia":136,"wp:attachment":139,"wp:term":142,"curies":158},[111],{"href":112,"targetHints":113},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F60247",{"allow":114},[115],"GET",[117],{"href":118},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[120],{"href":121},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[123],{"embeddable":26,"href":124},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F16",[126],{"embeddable":26,"href":127},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=60247",[129],{"count":130,"href":131},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F60247\u002Frevisions",[133],{"id":134,"href":135},60255,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F60247\u002Frevisions\u002F60255",[137],{"embeddable":26,"href":138},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F58249",[140],{"href":141},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=60247",[143,146,149,152,155],{"taxonomy":144,"embeddable":26,"href":145},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=60247",{"taxonomy":147,"embeddable":26,"href":148},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=60247",{"taxonomy":150,"embeddable":26,"href":151},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=60247",{"taxonomy":153,"embeddable":26,"href":154},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=60247",{"taxonomy":156,"embeddable":26,"href":157},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=60247",[159],{"name":160,"href":161,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[],[],1785696724802]