Beyond Sound: The First Workshop on Intelligent Acoustic Sensing on Wearables

Abstract

Acoustic sensors are now integrated into nearly every wearable device, valued for their affordability, low power consumption, and unobtrusiveness. By design, microphones and speakers are traditionally used for speech interactions and sound playback, respectively. However, recent advancements in artificial intelligence, advanced signal processing, and high-fidelity compact sensors have enabled researchers in Ubiquitous and Wearable Computing and HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) to significantly expand the sensing capabilities of these acoustic components. They are now being repurposed as minimally obtrusive, low-power, and privacy-aware sensing units on wearables to capture high-quality information about users and their surrounding environments. This information can be intelligently interpreted for seamless interaction, contextual awareness, health monitoring, and activity recognition—highlighting the tremendous potential of acoustic sensing for the future of wearable technologies. To fully explore the opportunities and challenges of applying acoustic sensing in real-world applications in the age of AI, this workshop invites researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to share insights, identify key challenges and discuss emerging developments in intelligent acoustic sensing and interaction technologies for everyday wearable devices. Through collaborative discussion and exploration, participants will address critical issues and propose innovative solutions to advance the field. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, acoustic sensing system development, open-source tools and datasets, signal processing, AI-driven approaches, privacy concerns, deployment challenges, and novel applications.