Next-Generation Audio Processing for Smart Eyewear

Smart eyewear (augmented reality glasses, smart frames, and audio spectacles) is rapidly emerging as the next major personal computing platform. However, transitioning advanced audio capabilities from traditional form factors (like smartphones or over-ear headphones) to a lightweight pair of glasses introduces unprecedented acoustic and hardware challenges.This workshop explores the intersection of spatial audio, speech enhancement, and resource-constrained edge computing.The scope covers algorithmic and architectural solutions tailored to the unique realities of eyewear:

• Egocentric Array Processing: Managing extreme acoustic shadowing from the user's head and optimizing tightly spaced microphone arrays localized around the temples;
• Sensor Fusion: Combining acoustic microphones with alternative sensors (e.g., bone-conduction sensors and accelerometers) for robust speech extraction in high-noise environments;
• Severe Resource Deficits: Developing ultra-low-latency algorithms capable of running within microwatt power constraints;
• Acoustics & Transduction: Mitigating severe wind noise across the frames and managing micro-loudspeaker playback to ensure acoustic transparency (hear-through) without feedback, own-voice amplification, and interferences.

Experts from both academia and industry will provide a comprehensive overview of audio processing for smart eyewear, covering the state of the art and the field's challenges from both practical and theoretical perspectives.

Program: TBA
Date: 7 Sept. 2026 - Afternoon TBA
Venue: Politecnico di Milano - Polo Territoriale di Cremona

Organization:
Prof. Israel Cohen - Technion & Polimi
Dr. Niccolò Antonello - EssilorLuxottica