Meta patents optical microphone that reads sound from skin vibrations
Meta describes an audio system that uses a laser to detect sound by measuring tiny vibrations on a user's skin. Instead of capturing air pressure like a standard microphone, it shines light on the skin and analyzes how the reflected light changes as the skin moves in response to nearby noise.
In the filing’s own words
An audio system including an optical microphone and an audio controller. The optical microphone includes a light source and a detector arranged in an interferometric configuration. The light source emits light including a reference beam and a sensing beam, where the sensing beam is directed to illuminate skin of a user. Sounds in a local area cause vibrations in the skin at the illuminated location. A portion of the sensing beam is reflected by the skin and mixed with the reference beam to generate a mixed signal. The detector is configured to detect the mixed signal corresponding to interference between the reference beam and the reflected sensing beam. The audio controller processes acoustic signals based on the detected mixed signal, thereby enabling measurement of the sounds using vibrations of the skin.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An audio system comprising: an optical microphone, the optical microphone comprising: a light source configured to emit light, the light including a reference beam and a sensing beam, the light source configured to illuminate skin of a user with the sensing beam, the sensing beam being directed to a location on the skin, wherein vibrations of the skin are caused by sounds in a local area; and a detector in an interferometric configuration with the light source such that the detector is configured to detect a mixed signal, the mixed signal corresponding to the reference beam that is mixed with a portion of the sensing beam that is reflected by the skin; and an audio controller configured to process acoustic signals using the mixed signal.
Facts
- Company
- Meta (Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC)
- Official title
- AUDIO SYSTEM THAT USES AN OPTICAL MICROPHONE
- Publication number
- US20260323225A1
- Application number
- 19444526
- Filed
- Jan 9, 2026
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 9
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04R 23/008 Electricity & electronicsG01B 9/02007 Physics & computingG01B 9/02029 Physics & computingG01B 9/02049 Physics & computingG01B 9/02083 Physics & computingG10L 25/03 Physics & computingMore from Meta in Audio & voice
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.