Earable Computing: A New Area to Think about

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

This position paper argues that earphones hold the potential for major disruptions in mobile, wearable computing. The early signs are positive and the industrial wheels are in motion. However, whether earphones truly become a disruptive new platform, or stop at being a useful accessory, could depend on whether we-the mobile computing researchers-deliver. If we do, tomorrow's earphones will run augmented reality via 3D sound, will have Alexa and Siri whisper just-in-time information, will track our motion and health, will make authentications seamless, and much more. The leap from today's earphones to "earables"could mimic the transformation we saw from basic-phones to smart phones. On the other hand, if we are unable to provide some of the disruptive building blocks, tomorrow's earphones may saturate in its capabilities. We believe this is an important juncture in time where the mobile computing research community has an opportunity to shape the future. This paper aims to discuss this landscape, including some challenges, opportunities, and applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationHotMobile 2021 - Proceedings of the 22nd International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages146-152
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781450383233
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 24 2021
Event22nd International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications, HotMobile 2021 - Virtual, Online, United Kingdom
Duration: Feb 24 2021Feb 26 2021

Publication series

NameHotMobile 2021 - Proceedings of the 22nd International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications

Conference

Conference22nd International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications, HotMobile 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityVirtual, Online
Period2/24/212/26/21

Keywords

  • AR/VR
  • Hearables
  • acoustics
  • earphones
  • embedded systems
  • healthcare
  • localization
  • security
  • sensing
  • signal processing
  • wearable

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Earable Computing: A New Area to Think about'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this