Exploring the 'EarSwitch' concept: a novel ear based control method for assistive technology.
Anna C Hoyle, Richard Stevenson, Martin Leonhardt and 6 others
PMID 39623474WHAT IT FOUND
Most people with neurological disorders can still voluntarily rumble their ears.
Self-reported ability matched observed eardrum movement in 80% of cases tested. This suggests ear rumbling is a viable, invisible switch for assistive technology, particularly for those with motor neurone disease.
Key findings
0170% of participants with neurological disorders reported the ability to rumble, and 55% of those could do so in isolation.
02In the validation phase, 80% of self-reported rumblers exhibited visible eardrum movement when attempting to rumble in isolation.
03A pilot test using rumbling as a binary switch showed a mean response time of 1.57 seconds in the general population and 0.56 seconds in one participant with Multiple Sclerosis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Recruitment bias is likely, as some participants were drawn from communities already interested in ear rumbling, potentially inflating prevalence estimates. The validation phase included only 4 participants with neurological conditions, making it difficult to generalize the accuracy of self-reporting to the broader patient population. The study did not assess the fatigue associated with repeated voluntary rumbling, which is a critical factor for patients with conditions like MND. Camera-based detection in the validation phase failed for 22 participants due to earwax or anatomical issues, highlighting potential practical barriers to using otoscopic sensing in real-world devices.
Declared interests
EarSwitch Ltd, a company developing AAC using ear rumbling, was a co-investigator on the project and shared recruitment links on their social media channels.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that because 70% of patients report the ability to rumble, they can use it effectively as a switch. The validation phase showed that only 55% of those with neurological conditions could rumble in isolation, and the study did not test long-term usability or fatigue. Additionally, the high prevalence rates may be inflated by recruitment bias from communities already interested in the sensation.