• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, March 7, 2024

Earrings may soon be not only fashionable but an efficient monitor of body temperature, thanks to researchers at the University of Washington who have developed the first Thermal Earring.

More than just another wearable,  the product can “integrate into real jewelry” because it’s “about the size and weight of a small paper clip," say the developers. It also has a 28-day battery life.

The smart earring dangles, with a sensor on the earlobe portion measuring body temperature and another sensor about an inch below on the dangling part measuring the, well, outside temperature. In addition to the two sensors, the small device also includes a Bluetooth chip, battery and antenna.

Unlike smart watches, which only provide an average temperature for the day, the earring measures continuous temperature, which “is a way to increase sensitivity of capturing fevers, since they can rise and fall throughout the day….In medicine, we often monitor fevers to assess response to therapy – to see, for instance, if an antibiotic is working on an infection,” co-author Dr. Mastafa Springston, a clinical instructor  at the Department of Emergency Medicine in the UW School of Medicine, said in a press announcement.

In initial tests, published in the Proceedings of the ACM [Association for Computing Machinery] on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, the researchersfound that earlobe temperatures changed based on daily activities like eating and exercise -- and changed measurably due to such stressors as public speaking and exams.

The Thermal Earring, they said, outperformed a smart watch at sensing skin temperature during periods of rest and also “showed promise” for monitoring signs of stress, eating, exercise and ovulation.

Future iterations of the device may integrate monitoring of heart rate and activity, and may be powered from solar or kinetic energy garnered from the swaying of the earring, according to co-lead author Shirley Xue, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering who’s devoted to turning jewelry “into smart fashionable wearables for continuous health monitoring.”

Xue also wants to develop a smart necklace as part of a health-monitoring jewelry set. While the earrings would monitor temperature and heart rate, she said, the necklace could serve as an electrocardiogram monitor for more effective heart health data.

Pharma & Health Insider asked Xue about plans for monetizing the Thermal Earring.

Pharma & Health Insider: What do you see as the timeline for commercialization?

Shirley Xue: We are working on commercializing the earring while integrating more functionalities to it. We hope it can become commercial in the next two to three years. However, we want to make sure they’re the best they can be, so it might take a bit longer.

P&HI: What are the next steps in that process?

Xue: We are actively working on integrating more functionalities to the earring, and plan to conduct larger-scale long-term studies on more users.

P&HI: Do you see this as eventually being marketed by the healthcare industry, fashion/jewelry companies or tech companies?

Xue: We think of the earrings as a health-focused tech product, so they’ll fit best with tech companies focused on health. But we’re also looking at making them fashionable by working with fashion companies.

P&HI: Do you foresee the earrings coming in pairs?

Xue: We are open to the idea of offering the earrings in pairs, based on consumer interest and market trends. But we are flexible in this, depending on the preferences and needs of our customers.

P&HI: How far along are you on plans for necklaces and/or other jewelry?

Xue: It’s under development. We will need to conduct studies to test and evaluate.

P&HI: How much are you into fashion personally?

Xue: I’m very into fashion personally. I like to explore different jewelries and find out what suits me best.