New Jabra Headphones Enhance Ear-Based Biometrics

Athletic wearables maker Jabra has announced new sets of headphones sporting biometric capabilities.

The Jabra Sport Pulse Special Edition further extends the biometric tracking of its namesake, Jabra Sport Pulse. Like that 2014 device, it uses in-ear sensors to monitor heart rate, but now it can also determine the user’s VO₂ max level, a measure of how much oxygen a subject can use.

Meanwhile, the Jabra Sport Coach Special Edition uses a motion sensor to track repetitions of exercises, such as lifting weights. Like the Jabra Sport Pulse Special Edition, it features coaching via an AI voice assistant; but the Jabra Sport Coach Special Edition can also let the user know when her reps for a certain exercise are done and it’s time to move on to another.

The new editions arrive as excitement about wearables extends beyond the smartwatch and wristband concepts. Samsung, for example, recently licensed ear-based biometric technology from Valencell, suggesting that headphones, already popular on jogs and in the gym, could represent a new frontier for biometric fitness tracking going forward.