Emerging Additive Manufacturing Methods for Wearable Sensors: Opportunities to Expand Access to Personalized Health...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Health Equity

Background:

• Significant healthcare access disparities persist, disproportionately impacting underserved and vulnerable groups.
• Current innovation pathways for advanced diagnostic technologies are often hindered by resource limitations.
• Wearable sensors offer potential for remote and accessible health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in the additive manufacturing of wearable sensor platforms for physiological health monitoring.
• To highlight the potential of 3D printed wearable sensors in addressing healthcare disparities.
• To discuss the utility of additive manufacturing in expanding access to vital healthcare technologies.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on additive manufacturing techniques for wearable sensors.
• Analysis of representative examples of 3D printed wearable sensors for physiological monitoring.
• Discussion of the implications of AM for resource-limited healthcare settings.

Main Results:

• Additive manufacturing enables rapid prototyping of bespoke, multifunctional wearable sensors.
• 3D printed sensors demonstrate potential for measuring clinically relevant biophysical and biochemical signals.
• AM circumvents barriers related to specialized facilities, expertise, and capital investment.

Conclusions:

• Additive manufacturing holds significant promise for developing accessible and advanced wearable health monitoring technologies.
• 3D printed wearable sensors can play a crucial role in reducing healthcare disparities.
• AM facilitates innovation in healthcare technology, particularly for resource-limited environments.