Hearables: Feasibility of Recording Cardiac Rhythms from Single Ear Locations

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that hearable devices worn in the ear can reliably record ECG signals comparable to traditional leads, enabling unobtrusive, continuous cardiac monitoring in real-world environments.

Contribution

The paper provides the first biophysical modeling and experimental validation of single ear ECG signals, showing their potential for health monitoring.

Findings

Single ear ECG resembles Lead I signals used in clinical diagnosis.

Single ear ECG is robust against real-world measurement noise.

Feasibility of continuous cardiac monitoring with hearables is confirmed.

Abstract

Wearable technologies are envisaged to provide critical support to future healthcare systems. Hearables - devices worn in the ear - are of particular interest due to their ability to provide health monitoring in an efficient, reliable and unobtrusive way. Despite the considerable potential of these devices, the ECG signal that can be acquired through a hearable device worn on a single ear is still relatively unexplored. Biophysics modelling of ECG volume conduction was used to establish principles behind the single ear ECG signal, and measurements of cardiac rhythms from 10 subjects were found to be in good correspondence with simulated equivalents. Additionally, the viability of the single ear ECG in real-world environments was determined through one hour duration measurements during a simulated driving task on 5 subjects. Results demonstrated that the single ear ECG resembles the Lead I signal, the most widely used ECG signal in the identification of heart conditions such as myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation, and was robust against real-world measurement noise, even after prolonged measurements. This study conclusively demonstrates that hearables can enable continuous monitoring of vital signs in an unobtrusive and seamless way, with the potential for reliable identification and management of heart conditions such as myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation.