Tam Vu
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Tam Vu

Thomas A. and Georgina Tugwell Russo 1977 Distinguished Professor Department of Computer Science, Dartmouth College Cluster Head, Improving Healthcare Outcomes through Sensory Technology Cluster Director, HumanX Lab, Dartmouth College Founder and Chairman, Earable Neuroscience

Tam Vu is the Thomas A. and Georgina Tugwell Russo 1977 Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at Dartmouth College and Founder of Earable Neuroscience.

His research focuses on AI-powered wearable and mobile systems for human performance, wellness, and longevity, developing AI-powered platforms that capture physiological signals from the ear, head, and surrounding environment for healthcare monitoring and cognitive enhancement. Dr. Vu pioneered the field of Earable Computing, introducing ear-based sensing and stimulation systems that leverage the ear's proximity to brain, eye, and facial muscle signals for non-invasive health monitoring and intervention and brain-computer interaction.

Dr. Vu translates research into deployed systems: Earable Neuroscience, which he founded and led as CEO from 2018 to 2025, raised $10M+ from Founders Fund and Samsung Ventures, shipped AI-powered sleep and focus wearables to 10,000+ users across 40+ countries, and earned three consecutive CES Innovation Awards (2023–2025).

Prior to Dartmouth, he was an Associate Professor at Oxford University and the University of Colorado.

Tam Vu is the Thomas A. and Georgina Tugwell Russo 1977 Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at Dartmouth College and the Founder and Chairman of Earable Neuroscience. He also serves as Cluster Head for the Improving Healthcare Outcomes through Sensory Technology initiative at Dartmouth.

Dr. Vu is a pioneer in Earable Computing. In 2015, he introduced the term "Earable Systems" to describe ear-based sensing and stimulation computing platforms. These systems leverage the ear's anatomical proximity to key physiological signals, including brain electrical activity (EEG), eye movements (EOG), and facial muscle contractions (EMG), to enable high-fidelity biosignal capture with minimal user intrusion. He founded the HumanX Lab (previously Mobile and Networked Systems (MNS) Lab), which has produced research spanning wearable health monitoring, wireless sensing, and secure mobile systems. The lab's work has been recognized at premier venues including ACM MobiCom, ACM SenSys, and ACM MobiSys.

Dr. Vu has translated his research into commercial products through two venture-backed companies. Earable Neuroscience develops AI-powered wearables that enhance sleep quality, focus, and cognitive function. In a major step towards redefining luxury in healthcare technology, the company has recently partnered with Tonino Lamborghini to launch the FRENZ SuperBrain model, positioning FRENZ as a premier luxury health brand. Earable Neuroscience has served 10,000+ users across 40+ countries, raised $10+ million from leading investors including Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Samsung Ventures, and celebrated three consecutive CES Innovation Awards (2023, 2024, 2025). The FRENZ Brainband has also earned the Red Dot Design Award (2023) and MUSE Design Award (2022). Dr. Vu continues to drive industry standards as a CES Innovation Judge in 2024.

His research and commercial work have been featured in major media outlets, including the five leading global news organizations: BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times among others.

His lab is currently developing technologies that enhance human performance, cognitive function, and well-being. Current work leverages innovative AI and biological computing to optimize wellness and life quality.

Research Interests

AI-powered Wearable Systems

Wearable platforms for physiological monitoring, sleep analysis, and cognitive enhancement

Earable Computing

Ear-based sensing and stimulation systems for sleep monitoring, cognitive enhancement, and brain-computer interfaces

Embedded Machine Learning

On-device AI for resource-constrained wearable devices

Maternal & Women's Health

Wearable systems for pregnancy monitoring and labor detection

Sleep & Mental Health

Nightmare detection, sleep optimization, and neurofeedback interventions

Biological Computing

Brain organoid computing and biological computing for industrial applications

Research Projects

Sleep & Mental Health

CalmNight: Nightmare Detection and Intervention

AI-powered wearable platform for real-time nightmare detection and intervention during sleep.

Maternal Health

MaternalSense: Wearable Maternal Health Monitoring

Continuous maternal and fetal health monitoring wearable to enable early risk detection and remote prenatal care.

Biological Computing

BrainOrganoid: Biological Computing for Industry

Exploring brain organoid-based biological computers for advanced neuromorphic industrial applications.

Earable Computing
Project → Paper ↓

iES / LIBS - In-ear Sleep Sensing

Lightweight in-ear sensing platform for whole-night sleep monitoring. Best Paper ACM SenSys 2016.

Earable Computing
Project → Paper ↓

eBP - In-ear Blood Pressure Monitoring

Blood pressure monitoring from the ear using oscillometric sensing. Best Paper ACM MobiCom 2019.

Earable Computing
Project → Paper ↓

WAKE - Behind-the-ear Microsleep Detection

Wearable system for detecting microsleep events. ACM MobiSys 2020.

Mobile Healthcare
Project → Paper ↓

PhO2/MobileOx - Smartphone Blood Oxygen

Smartphone-based pulse oximeter. Best Paper Nominee ACM SenSys 2017.

Mobile Healthcare
Project → Paper ↓

WiSpiro - Non-contact Breathing Monitoring

Breathing volume estimation using wireless signals. IEEE INFOCOM 2016.

Mobile Healthcare
Project → Paper ↓

Painometry - Objective Pain Quantification

Wearable system for postoperative pain assessment. ACM MobiSys 2020.

HCI
Project → Paper ↓

CapBand - Battery-free Gesture Recognition

Battery-free wristband for gesture recognition. Best Paper Runner-up ACM SenSys 2018.

Wireless Sensing
Project → Paper ↓

Matthan/DronePD - Passive Drone Detection

RF-based drone detection. SIGMOBILE Research Highlight 2017. DHS Funded.

Wireless Security
Project → Paper ↓

Capacitive Touch Communication

Human body as transmission medium. Best Paper ACM MobiCom 2012.

Selected Publications

Clinical Evaluation of a Polarization-Based Optical Noninvasive Glucose Sensing System
Nature Scientific Reports, 2025
Ho Man Colman Leung, Chengyue Gong, Luke Geiser, Emily E. Fivekiller, Nam Bui, Tam Vu, Temiloluwa Prioleau, Gregory P. Forlenza, Qiang Liu, Xia Zhou
A Comprehensive Study on the Efficacy of a Wearable Sleep Aid Device Featuring Closed-Loop Real-Time Acoustic Stimulation
Nature Scientific Reports, 2023
Anh Nguyen, Galen Pogoncheff, Ban Xuan Dong, Nam Bui, Hoang Truong, Nhat Pham, Linh Nguyen, Hoang Nguyen-Huu, Khue Bui-Diem, Quan Vu-Tran-Thien, Sy Duong-Quy, Sangtae Ha, Tam Vu
PROS: An Efficient Pattern-Driven Compressive Sensing Framework for Low-Power Biopotential-Based Wearables with On-Chip Intelligence
ACM MobiCom, 2022
Nhat Pham, Hong Jia, Minh Tran, Tuan Dinh, Nam Bui, Young Kwon, Dong Ma, Phuc Nguyen, Cecilia Mascolo, Tam Vu
ioTree: A Battery-Free Wearable System with Biocompatible Sensors for Continuous Tree Health Monitoring
ACM MobiCom, 2022
Tuan Dang, Trung Tran, Khang Nguyen, Tien Pham, Nhat Pham, Tam Vu, Phuc Nguyen
DroneScale: Drone Load Estimation Via Remote Passive RF Sensing
ACM SenSys, 2020
Phuc Nguyen, Vimal Kakaraparthi, Nam Bui, Nikshep Umamahesh, Nhat Pham, Hoang Truong, Yeswanth Guddeti, Dinesh Bharadia, Eric Frew, Richard Han, Dan Massey, Tam Vu
Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring Using Polarized Light
ACM SenSys, 2020
Tianxing Li, Nam Bui, Temiloluwa Prioleau, Tam Vu, Xia Zhou
WAKE: A Behind-the-Ear Wearable System for Microsleep Detection
ACM MobiSys, 2020
Nhat Pham, Tuan Dinh, Zohreh Raghebi, Taeho Kim, Nam Bui, Phuc Nguyen, Hoang Truong, Farnoush Banaei-Kashani, Ann Halbower, Thang Dinh, Tam Vu
eBP: A Wearable System For Frequent and Comfortable Blood Pressure Monitoring From User's Ear
ACM MobiCom, 2019
Nam Bui, Nhat Pham, Jessica Barnitz, Phuc Nguyen, Hoang Truong, Taeho Kim, Anh Nguyen, Zhanan Zou, Nicholas Farrow, Jianliang Xiao, Robin Deterding, Thang Dinh, Tam Vu
Best PaperCACMSIGMOBILE
CapBand: Battery-Free Successive Capacitance Sensing Wristband for Hand Gesture Recognition
ACM SenSys, 2018
Hoang Truong, Shuo Zhang, Ufuk Muncuk, Phuc Nguyen, Nam Bui, Anh Nguyen, Qin Lv, Kaushik Chowdhury, Thang Dinh, Tam Vu
Best Paper Runner-up
Matthan: Drone Presence Detection Using Physical Signatures in the Drone's RF Communication
ACM MobiSys, 2017
Phuc Nguyen, Hoang Truong, Mahesh Ravindranathan, Anh Nguyen, Richard Han, Tam Vu
SIGMOBILE Highlight
A Lightweight And Inexpensive In-ear Sensing System For Automatic Whole-night Sleep Monitoring
ACM SenSys, 2016
Anh Nguyen, Raghda Alqurashi, Zohreh Raghebi, Farnoush Banaei-kashani, Ann C. Halbower, Tam Vu
Best PaperCACMSIGMOBILE
Distinguishing Users with Capacitive Touch Communication
ACM MobiCom, 2012
Tam Vu, Akash Baid, Simon Gao, Marco Gruteser, Richard Howard, Janne Lindqvist, Predrag Spasojevic, Jeffrey Walling
Best Paper
Detecting Driver Phone Use Leveraging Car Speakers
ACM MobiCom, 2011
Jie Yang, Simon Sidhom, Gayathri Chandrasekaran, Tam Vu, Hongbo Liu, Nicolae Cecan, Yingying Chen, Marco Gruteser, Richard Martin
Best Paper

View All 72+ Publications on Google Scholar →

Selected Videos

BBC News's Weekly Technology Show featuring Earable
BBC News's Weekly Technology Show featuring Earable
eBP: Blood Pressure Monitoring From User's Ear
eBP: Blood Pressure Monitoring From User's Ear
LIBS: In-ear Sensing System Presentation
LIBS: In-ear Sensing System Demo
Earable - Ear-Worn Biosignal Sensing Platform Demo
Earable - Ear-Worn Biosignal Sensing Platform Demo
WiSpiro: Breathing Volume Demo
WiSpiro: Breathing Volume Demo
Matthan: Drone Presence Detection
Matthan: Drone Presence Detection
Gesture Recognition via Capacitive Sensors
Gesture Recognition via Capacitive Sensors
FRENZ Brainband Introduction Video
FRENZ Brainband Introduction Video
TYTH - Typing On Your Teeth
TYTH - Typing On Your Teeth Demo

Career

The HumanX Lab at Dartmouth offers opportunities for researchers interested in wearable computing, AI-powered health monitoring, brain-computer interfaces, and commercialization of research.

Open Positions

  • PhD Student in Electrical Engineering
    Research positions for doctoral candidates focused on wearable sensing, embedded systems, and signal processing.
  • PhD Student in Computer Systems
    Research positions for doctoral candidates in mobile computing, AI systems, and health monitoring platforms.
  • Postdoc in Electrical Engineering
    Postdoctoral research positions in wearable hardware design, biosignal processing, and earable computing.
  • Postdoc in Computer Systems
    Postdoctoral research positions in mobile health systems, embedded ML, and brain-computer interfaces.
  • Student Interns
    Internship opportunities in Electrical Engineering, Computer Systems, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, and Biomedical Engineering.
  • Program Coordinator
    Coordinate day-to-day lab operations, events, and research program logistics.
  • Program Manager
    Lead research program strategy, grant management, and cross-institutional collaborations.