Smart headphones that detect diseases

Four students from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) have made smart headphones that are for ear diseases and indicate when you have to go to the doctor. «As there is Bracelet That your physiological parameters tell you while running, is health aimed at helping people to maintain quality, minimize auditory losses and for people to be more aware of how important it is to ensure the feeling of the ear in our lives, ”he explains to Innova+ Javier Silva, one of the parents of this protototype.

Born in the classes of the Biomedical Engineering Master of the UPV, Healthhar, who is the name of the project, is one of those awarded in the First European University Design Contest, promoted by the Multinational Analogs (ADI) and Würth Electonik (WE), specialists in design and production of electronic component.

The equipment contains a sensor that consists of a microphone and a small speaker with which the pulse can be emitted and receives the ECO signal, and an external microphone to include environmental sound that is implemented in the headset housing. «Then we perform two different types of signal analysis, one temporary and one at frequencies. The parameters extracted from these analyzes enable us to calculate a value of the noise transfer quality by calculating each ear of each user, “Silva adds.

The microphone that collects the outer noise makes an automatic volume adjustment possible so that, in environments with larger ambient noise, the volume gradually increases to a non -heavy level for the ear. “These values ​​can vary in every ear for each user, but, as described above, if a significant variation is detected, the software can send a notification to the user, making it known that it has a possible auditory problem, so that it is in the hands of health workers,” he says.

In that sense, Healthhar can know whether there is any form of damage, such as tympanian perforations, inflammatory otological processes of the Eustaqui tube or seromual professions. “We cannot distinguish which pathology the user has, because that would be to diagnose, but we can let him know that there is a problem and that he goes to the doctor so that qualified staff can analyze it,” the student recalls.

The development of the health ear has had the cooperation of the professor of the Higher Technical School for Telecommunications engineers of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Germán Ramos, and the designer and coordinator of European projects, Miguel Pizá (UPV-CPI2020).

«After having won the competition, the device is very distributed and acceptance by both doctors, and friends who have tried it and we are convinced that a device of these characteristics brings a revolution in the headphone market as we know it today. If we succeed in overcoming the economic barrier that is crucial in our situation, remember that the 4 university students are, we believe we can bring it to the market, “he says.