Detecting heart rate variability using a hearable

Abstract

Techniques and apparatuses are described that perform heart rate variability detection using a hearable. A hearable, such as an earbud, is capable of performing a novel physiological monitoring process termed herein audioplethysmography, which is an active acoustic method capable of sensing subtle physiologically-related changes observable at a user's outer and middle ear. Instead of relying on other auxiliary sensors, such as optical or electrical sensors, audioplethysmography involves transmitting and receiving acoustic signals to monitor a user's biometrics, including heart rate variability and/or blood pressure. In addition to being relatively unobtrusive, some hearables can be configured to support audioplethysmography without the need for additional hardware. As such, the size, cost, and power usage of the hearable can help make health monitoring accessible to a larger group of people and improve the user experience with hearables.