Google working on tech that could turn any ANC earbuds into heart rate trackers

Tracking your health with technology has become a big part of many people's lives nowadays. Smartwatches now can measure heart rate, but what if, instead of a bulky smartwatch, you can just wear your earbuds and still get your heart rate regularly measured? Well, Android Headlines reports that Google is looking into ways to make any active noise-canceling (ANC) earbuds into heart rate trackers via a software update.

Google researches ways to use AND earbuds to track heart rate

The company has been digging into audioplethysmography (APG) technology. It should use low-intensity ultrasound signals emitted by the speakers of the earbuds. The onboard ANC mics should be able to capture those, and this way the earbuds should be able to detect subtle changes in the skin and heartbeat (in the vessels in the ear canal).


Google did stumble across some challenges with this tech though. The challenge particularly comes in noisy environments - but Google seems to have managed to come up with the most accurate signal.

Google tested 153 people so far and the research yielded promising results. In fact, the tech had a median error of 3.21% for heart rate and 2.70% for heart rate variability measurements across various scenarios.

As exciting as this sounds, keep in mind that the research is still in its early stages. So far, it is unclear whether Google even plans to use the APG technology in consumer products.