Applications of conductive hydrogels in sports performance monitoring

Conductive hydrogels, as functional materials with softness, electrical conductivity, and biocompatibility, have attracted increasing attention in the field of sports performance monitoring in recent years. Compared with traditional rigid sensors, conductive hydrogels can better conform to the skin and soft tissues, enabling stable and continuous signal acquisition during high-intensity exercise and in complex environments. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in the application of conductive hydrogels for sports monitoring, with a particular focus on material design strategies, conductive mechanisms, and key performance characteristics. Furthermore, typical application scenarios are discussed, including joint posture tracking, impact force measurement, electromyographic signal acquisition, sweat analysis, and feedback during rehabilitation training. The major challenges currently facing this field are also analyzed, such as insufficient durability, performance degradation in high-humidity environments, technical bottlenecks in multimodal synchronous signal acquisition, complex fabrication processes, and the lack of standardized evaluation systems. Finally, potential future development directions are proposed, including intelligence, multimodal integration, industrial translation, and green sustainable development. Conductive hydrogels are expected to become core materials for next-generation wearable sports monitoring devices, providing strong support for scientific training, injury prevention, and personalized rehabilitation.