The World’s Smallest Health Wearable, Smart Earrings, Just Launched on Kickstarter
Wearable like smart watches again smart rings it can be bulky, which makes it difficult to wear 24/7. That’s the gap that smart earring creator Lumia Health hopes to fill with the Lumia 2 device, which was originally created in collaboration with researchers at Johns Hopkins, Duke and Harvard to help patients with chronic blood flow disorders.
The company calls the Lumia 2 earrings the world’s smallest wearable earrings. It’s an earring-like device about the size of a coffee bean that houses the second-generation PreciseLight sensor, processors, battery and additional health sensors.
On Tuesday, Lumia 2 headphones were launched on Kickstarter, earning more than $800,000, which is more than 80 times the initial goal of $10,000.
Followed by Lumia 2
It weighs less than 1 gram and is five times smaller than AirPodsminiaturized biosensing technology allows Lumia 2 smart earbuds to track more than 20 health metrics, including sleep, activity (steps, calories and active minutes), readiness, menstrual cycle, temperature, heart rate and heart rate variability, blood oxygen (SpO2) and blood flow. The latter is what inspired the creation of Lumia Health.
“Six years ago, my father fell and broke six ribs because he didn’t have enough blood in his head,” said Daniel Lee, co-founder and CEO of Lumia Health, in a Kickstarter video. “We have to be able to measure blood flow in real time, so we can avoid some of these catastrophic injuries.”
Event Tagging is also available, so you can log your activities and behaviors, such as caffeinated meals, meditation and walking.
All this will be found in the application that accompanies this article, ie iOS-again Android-compatible with iPhone SE (second generation) or later, iOS 17 or later and Android 11 or later, with Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 or later.
Track sleep, blood flow, heart rate, energy and more with Lumia 2.
Different ways to wear it, one important place
With its three designs — stud, huggie hoops and ear cuffs for those without pierced ears — the Lumia 2 places its sensors directly behind your ear. Compared to wearable devices on the hand and finger, this close to the heart and blood vessels of the shallow ear provides, according to Lumia Health, a stronger signal that is less affected by movement, allowing for continuous, uninterrupted data.
Although it was designed to match the look of many gold, silver and titanium finishes, you can also use the Lumia 2’s SwitchBack technology to attach the device to your existing collection of back earrings.
Endless battery life
Unlike other wearables that need to be removed to charge, the Lumia 2 uses replaceable batteries that each last seven days. When your battery needs recharging, you simply remove it, swap in a fully charged spare and put your recharging battery into the charger to be ready in seven days.
Using a replaceable battery supports the company’s claim that the Lumia 2 can collect continuous data, especially when you sleep, as most people charge their devices during this time.
Every 3 minutes, the Lumia 2 collects blood flow and heart rate metrics, including HRV. You can also enable Live Mode to capture data once a second for a set amount of time, such as when you’re exercising or looking for quick feedback.
There are programs to create an adjustable data capture rate that allows you to select a higher sampling frequency, such as once per minute, but this will sacrifice battery life.
With replaceable batteries, you don’t have to wait for the Lumia 2 to charge.
Privacy
The data collected by the Lumia 2 is encrypted, anonymized and access controlled, according to the company, which states in the Kickstarter FAQs that it only shares your data with third-party cloud server providers, such as AWS, to help Lumia Health securely store and provide your data.
Or, if you choose to opt in to the Data From People, For People program, you can authorize your data to be added to an anonymous, aggregated open source data repository provided by top researchers. Lumia Health evaluates these research partners to ensure they are working in a way that best benefits the public health and health conditions the company aims to serve.
When asked how research partners are evaluated, a Lumia Health representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Note that the Lumia 2 is not an FDA-cleared medical device, meaning it is not designed to diagnose or treat any medical condition.
Costs and membership
The base price of Lumia 2 is $249, while hoops, cuffs and studs will cost more. All finishes — gold, silver and titanium — are priced equally.
However, membership is required. The monthly fee is $20, while the one-year plan is $14 per month, and the two-year plan is $10 per month. With all three, you get app details, unlimited cloud storage and software updates.
Currently, the most affordable Kickstarter reward costs $279 and includes a smart earring back, a titanium cuff, two titanium seals, two batteries and a six-month membership plan. Pricier plans offer different designs, finishes and systems.
Shipping to the US is free, while shipping to Canada (except Quebec) is around $20.
Membership is required to access Lumia 2 information through its app.
Lumia timeline
Lumia Health was launched at the beginning of 2020, and yes, there was Lumia 1, which was released in February 2025. One month later, in March, Lumia 2 began to be named, and it was officially announced in November.
Now that the Lumia Kickstarter has started, the device’s beta launch is scheduled for September, and shipping is expected in December. Beta access was limited to 500 backers and is already sold out.
