Earbuds Used to Monitor Heart Health: New Research Breakthrough

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have demonstrated that standard, widely available earbuds can be repurposed as heart-monitoring devices. This technology allows for the capture of subtle cardiac activity with near-clinical accuracy, potentially expanding the availability of long-term, at-home heart care.

The research team transformed common hearables into heart-vibration sensors capable of measuring heart valve activity. The findings indicate that these repurposed devices can perform with nearly the same accuracy as medical devices that are typically mounted directly to a patient’s chest.

The Technology Behind the Sensors

The system relies on the fact that the human heart does more than beat. it vibrates. These vibrations represent the precise opening and closing of heart valves, which the researchers describe as a hidden language of motion.

To capture these movements, the CMU team focused on the built-in speaker, which is the only transducer common to all earbud types. By transforming the speaker to act as an acoustic sensor, the device can capture heart sounds at the ear.

The system utilizes these signals to reconstruct gyrocardiography (GCG) and seismocardiography (SCG) waveforms. These waveforms are then used to extract the timing of key micro-cardiac events.

According to the researchers, this method works across a broad spectrum of hardware. The technology is applicable to high-end devices such as AirPods and Galaxy Buds, as well as low-end earbuds often provided for free on international flights.

Overcoming Clinical Limitations

Traditional methods for collecting micro-cardiac signals typically require a clinical environment. In these settings, patients must lie down, remove their clothing and be instrumented with gyroscopes and accelerometers.

These clinical sessions are often limited to a few minutes because of patient discomfort during prolonged monitoring and the time constraints of busy medical clinics.

Collecting these signals typically requires a clinical setting in which the patient lies down, removes their shirt, and is instrumented with accelerometers and gyroscopes. Recordings are typically limited to a few minutes due to time constraints in busy clinics and patient discomfort during prolonged sessions. Our technology removes all of those obstacles and enables micro-cardiac monitoring at home.

Justin Chan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science

Potential Applications and Next Steps

The development of this technology could eventually lead to the passive monitoring of heart conditions and the detection of valve disorders from a home setting. By removing the need for specialized chest-mounted sensors and clinical visits, the technology aims to make long-term monitoring more accessible.

The research team is scheduled to present their findings at the 2026 Association of Computing Machinery Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

The project was advised by Justin Chan, who serves as an assistant professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.