Heart rate and blood oxygen saturation are essential vital parameters for assessing the health and acute condition of emergency personnel and pilots. They enable rapid detection of dangerous situations and open up intervention options for the wearer or the incident commander. Established sensor systems on the wrist, upper arm, or finger are usually cumbersome, prone to interference, and too slow to respond in real-world conditions. Measuring at the ear offers a number of physiological and practical advantages.
The system presented combines an optical-digital in-ear sensor unit with a lightweight control and transmission unit attached to the helmet. Interference signals and motion artifacts are directly detected and treated accordingly by implemented algorithms using auxiliary sensors (microphone, acceleration sensor). A custom-fit, customizable earmold guarantees both optimal sensor data and long-term wearing comfort with a secure fit in the ear, while keeping the ear canal open and hearing ability unrestricted. The battery-powered device records and transmits vital data for at least 10 hours.
The development is part of the ongoing joint funding project “MoViSEG” by partners KORA Industrie-Elektronik GmbH and CiS Forschungsinstitut für Mikrosensorik GmbH. Once testing has been completed, KORA plans to transfer the product into series production.
Furthermore, the current interim status of the development will be presented in Nuremberg at the ENFORCE TAC 2026 trade fair at the CiS Research Institute’s booth, from 23rd-25th February 2026, in Hall 6, Booth 6-215, at the Thuringian joint booth.
Das Projekt “MoViSEG” wird vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE) aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages gefördert.
FKZ: KK5085707DF4
