According to tech experts, an ear presents the future of next-generation technologies. The usage of ears will not be restricted to only to listening to music or making phone calls. It will be used as a virtual assistant that can talk to customers throughout the day and enhance the health of people.
The sensors located in-ear will pick up voice better than the smart speakers in the room. Moreover, ears can be multi-taskers as they are active during the sleep too. People have lost lives during texting while driving, however, they do not have any problem while listening to music during driving.
As the right sensors are involved and processing tools are placed, a hearable device will have an ability to tell if the head is in the direction of the shelf of the store or the billboard on the road. Moreover, if a heart-rate monitor is included, it can measure stress.
Addition of an electroencephalogram sensor will enable an analysis of spatial brain activity. Along with a layman, these wearables can be utilized in industrial applications for faster processes and efficient operations. Increase in need of mobility services and technological advancements create new opportunities in the industrial hearable industry.
According to the report by Allied Market Research, the global industrial hearables market is expected to reach $2.03 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 37.6% from 2019 to 2026. Hearable devices will track brain activities, according to the new article published in IEEE spectrum. More inventions are coming through with the utilization of 3D printing for producing customized wearables.
In addition, advanced sensors have been invented for improving capabilities of wearables. Following are some of the activities taking place in the industry.
Hearables for tracking brains to be a reality:
Hearables will be equipped with new functionality now as they will be utilized for monitoring and tracking of brains. They can help us in focusing on particular conversations and monitoring our brain activities for treatment of tinnitus.
The Stanford University neuroscientist and chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories Poppy Crum wrote about the concept in IEEE Spectrum. The advent of technologies tries to faint the lines between biological and artificial intelligence to improve the thought process and collaborate with our brains.
These hearables can help people in separating specific conversations along with tracking neural health. Commenting on the choice of the ear, Crum outlined that the ear equivalents to the USB port. It can not only write to the brain as they are inserted for listening to the music but also read from the brain and utilized for monitoring brain activities.
The technology for wearable brain-computer interfaces will be developed in the next five years. When it will be developed fully, they will assess activities silently and figure out needs and state of mind as we cope with the surrounding world.
3D printing to bring customized hearables:
The trend of custom-fitted hearables is here. An Australian startup Hearables 3D developed the process with which 3D printed and custom-fitted hearable devices can be designed in an hour. An ultra-fast stereolithography 3D printing and 3D scanning with a smartphone are needed.
Before the advent of 3D printing, patients needed to undertake physical molding process and wait for days for tips to be made. Else, they use pre-made ear tips. The startup has provided a simple procedure to manufacture customized ear tips by adopting an approach of 3D scanning and printing.
The 3D scanning of a weaver is carried out with a 3D scanning function of the iPhone. Then an advanced 3D statistical modeling is used to gain an ear tip that can be printed with the help of a biocompatible resin. Then printing is done. The startup claimed that the entire process takes only an hour.
Dr. Phil Kinsella, Co-Founder, and CTO of Hearables 3D, outlined that the firm has an ability to obtain the data in a convenient manner with the help of the latest iPhone technology and the automation technology that enables the total turnaround time of an hour. The company also plans to offer custom-fit earphones in the future.
Sensors to enhance capabilities of hearables:
Offering new solutions to empower hearables with more capabilities can be one of the major strategies implemented by market players. Bosch Sensortec launched a new version of its BMA456 accelerometer.
This high-performance accelerometer is the one-of-its-kind in the industry that offers optimized features in a single sensor. Market players can utilize this sensor for designing smaller and accurate hearable devices that consume less power and offer enhanced performance.
These hearables can be standard earbuds, hearing aids, or gaming headsets. Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec, outlined that the experience of Bosch Sensortec in signal processing and ultra-low power MEMS sensor design has proved to be significant for developing next-generation hearables. Its BMA456 shows how the company leveraged its technical expertise and experience by adopting wearable technologies for the hearables industry.
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