Scientists invent wireless earbuds that use AI to reduce background noise

‘Method is quite similar to how your own ears work,’ scientists say

Scientists have developed wireless earbuds that use AI for background noise cancellation in real time, an advance that may find a range of applications, including in smart-home speakers and tracking robots.

The earbuds, named “ClearBuds”, were described in a presentation at the recent Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services.

Researchers from the University of Washington in the US used a novel microphone system and one of the first AI systems of the kind to operate in real-time and run on a smartphone to enhance the speaker’s voice and reduce background noise.