A Survey of Earable Technology: Trends, Tools, and the Road Ahead

Abstract

Earable devices, wearables positioned in or around the ear, are undergoing a rapid transformation from audio-centric accessories into multifunctional systems for interaction, contextual awareness, and health monitoring. This evolution is driven by commercial trends emphasizing sensor integration and by a surge of academic interest exploring novel sensing capabilities. Building on the foundation established by earlier surveys, this work presents a timely and comprehensive review of earable research published since 2022. We attempt to answer three core questions: (1) how has earable research evolved in recent years, (2) what enabling resources are now available, and (3) what opportunities remain for future exploration. For question (1), we analyze over one hundred recent studies to characterize this shifting research landscape, by identifying emerging sensing principles / applications, and efforts to improve accuracy and reliability over prior works. For question (2), we summarize new public datasets and hardware platforms that can be leveraged to facilitate future earable research. Finally, for question (3), we discuss open challenges and propose future directions for the next phase of earable research.