IMUSteth: On-Body Stethoscope Localization with Inertial Sensing for Home Self-Screening

Auscultation is a fundamental diagnostic technique, where a physician uses a stethoscope to listen to sounds inside the body for cardiovascular and respiratory assessment. Yet, it requires understanding of what sounds to listen for and where to place the stethoscope, making it inaccessible to the general population. Existing works have attempted to bridge this gap by guiding users on where to place the stethoscope through augmented reality-based technologies. However, these approaches require a camera to understand the current location of the stethoscope and where to move, which raise significant privacy concerns and require adequate lighting conditions. We present an IMU-based alternative that leverages a single inertial measurement unit carried by the user's hand, such as on a stethoscope, to guide users on stethoscope placement and eliminates the need for a camera. Our system tracks the location of the user's hand or stethoscope on the body with less than 8 cm of error, demonstrating the possibility of accurate camera-free guidance.