Advances and Challenges in Wearable Sensors for Health Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Data Science

Background:

• Wearable biosensors enable frequent, non- to minimally invasive patient monitoring, generating vast health data.
• This data facilitates informed clinical decisions and enhanced patient follow-up.
• The field is rapidly advancing, necessitating a comprehensive overview.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a state-of-the-art mega-review on wearable devices for health monitoring.
• To analyze the current landscape through citation network analysis.
• To identify challenges, advantages, and future research directions in wearable sensing.

Main Methods:

• Mega-review synthesizing research on wearable (bio)sensors.
• Citation network analysis for field overview.
• Review of chemical and physical sensors, device formats, soft electronics, signal processing, energy harvesting, AI/ML, and ethical considerations.

Main Results:

• Overview of chemical (bio)sensors in various biofluids (sweat, saliva, tears, etc.).
• Discussion of wearable device formats (smart contact lenses, textiles, watches, implants).
• Exploration of soft electronics, signal acquisition, energy harvesting, AI/ML, and business/regulatory aspects.

Conclusions:

• Wearable biosensing technologies are revolutionizing decentralized healthcare.
• Advances in materials science, AI/ML, and energy harvesting are crucial.
• The review identifies promising research avenues and inspires future innovation.