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Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2019) | Viewed by 82473

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Dr. Woon-Hong Yeo

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Guest Editor

Georgia Institute of Technology, 791 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Interests: nanomanufacturing; biosensors; bioelectronics; soft robotics; human–machine interfaces
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jae-Woong Jeong

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Guest Editor

School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea
Interests: flexible/stretchable electronics; bio-integrated engineering and microfluidics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft, functional materials enable comfortable, low-profile electronic systems, including sensors, stimulators, and actuators, for applications in medicine, healthcare, and human–machine interfaces. Engineering of materials that provide a very small form factor when integrated with functional components makes extremely flexible and stretchable electronics, which can overcome the current limitations of existing electronics based on rigid, planar materials. In addition, soft electronics-enabled biosystems offer compliant, ergonomic interactions and tissue-conformal lamination with a human body for highly sensitive detection of physiological signals.

This Special Issue focuses on the use of soft, hybrid, functional materials to design and develop unobtrusive, multifunctional wearable and implantable electronics for biomedical applications. Specifically, we seek papers that discuss new soft materials, flexible/stretchable sensors, and soft actuators to advance fundamental knowledge or technology in human health monitoring, disease diagnostics, healthcare, brain–computer interactions, and human–machine interfaces.

We invite full papers, communications, and reviews that cover one or several of the listed keywords below.

Prof. Dr. W. Hong Yeo
Prof. Dr. Jae-Woong Jeong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

soft material
wearable electronics
implantable electronics
biosensing
diagnostics
health monitoring
human–machine interface

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 167 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces

by Robert Herbert, Jae-Woong Jeong and Woon-Hong Yeo

Materials 2020, 13(3), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030517 - 22 Jan 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2678

Abstract

Soft material-enabled electronics offer distinct advantages over conventional rigid and bulky devices for numerous wearable and implantable applications. Soft materials allow for seamless integration with skin and tissues due to the enhanced mechanical flexibility and stretchability. Wearable devices with multiple sensors offer continuous, real-time monitoring of biosignals and movements, which can be applied for rehabilitation and diagnostics, among other applications. Soft implantable electronics offer similar functionalities, but with improved compatibility with human tissues. Biodegradable soft implantable electronics are also being developed for transient monitoring, such as in the weeks following surgeries. New composite materials, integration strategies, and fabrication techniques are being developed to further advance soft electronics. This paper reviews recent progresses in these areas towards the development of soft material-enabled electronics for medicine, healthcare, and human-machine interfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

10 pages, 3854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Use of Superelastic Nitinol and Highly-Stretchable Latex to Develop a Tongue Prosthetic Assist Device and Facilitate Swallowing for Dysphagia Patients

by Mahdis Shayan, Neil Gildener-Leapman, Moataz Elsisy, Jack T. Hastings, Shinjae Kwon, Woon-Hong Yeo, Jee-Hong Kim, Puneeth Shridhar, Gabrielle Salazar and Youngjae Chun

Materials 2019, 12(21), 3555; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12213555 - 30 Oct 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3272

Abstract

We introduce a new tongue prosthetic assist device (TPAD), which shows the first prosthetic application for potential treatment of swallowing difficulty in dysphagia patients. The native tongue has a number of complex movements that are not feasible to mimic using a single mechanical prosthetic device. In order to overcome this challenge, our device has three key features, including (1) a superelastic nitinol structure that transfers the force produced by the jaws during chewing towards the palate, (2) angled composite tubes for guiding the nitinol strips smoothly during the motion, and (3) highly stretchable thin polymeric membrane as a covering sheet in order to secure the food and fluids on top of the TPAD for easy swallowing. A set of mechanical experiments has optimized the size and angle of the guiding tubes for the TPAD. The low-profile TPAD was successfully placed in a cadaver model and its mobility effectively provided a simplistic mimic of the native tongue elevation function by applying vertical chewing motions. This is the first demonstration of a new oral device powered by the jaw motions in order to create a bulge in the middle of the mouth mimicking native tongue behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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12 pages, 2695 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Soft Polydimethylsiloxane Liquid Metal Interdigitated Capacitor Sensor and Its Integration in a Flexible Hybrid System for On-Body Respiratory Sensing

by Yida Li, Suryakanta Nayak, Yuxuan Luo, Yijie Liu, Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan, Jieming Pan, Zhuangjian Liu, Chun Huat Heng and Aaron Voon-Yew Thean

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1458; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091458 - 06 May 2019

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4159

Abstract

We report on the dual mechanical and proximity sensing effect of soft-matter interdigitated (IDE) capacitor sensors, together with its modelling using finite element (FE) simulation to elucidate the sensing mechanism. The IDE capacitor is based on liquid-phase GaInSn alloy (Galinstan) embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfludics channel. The use of liquid-metal as a material for soft sensors allows theoretically infinite deformation without breaking electrical connections. The capacitance sensing is a result of E-field line disturbances from electrode deformation (mechanical effect), as well as floating electrodes in the form of human skin (proximity effect). Using the proximity effect, we show that spatial detection as large as 28 cm can be achieved. As a demonstration of a hybrid electronic system, we show that by integrating the IDE capacitors with a capacitance sensing chip, respiration rate due to a human’s chest motion can be captured, showing potential in its implementation for wearable health-monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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14 pages, 4207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soft-Material-Based Smart Insoles for a Gait Monitoring System

by Changwon Wang, Young Kim and Se Dong Min

Materials 2018, 11(12), 2435; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122435 - 30 Nov 2018

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4289

Abstract

Spatiotemporal analysis of gait pattern is meaningful in diagnosing and prognosing foot and lower extremity musculoskeletal pathologies. Wearable smart sensors enable continuous real-time monitoring of gait, during daily life, without visiting clinics and the use of costly equipment. The purpose of this study was to develop a light-weight, durable, wireless, soft-material-based smart insole (SMSI) and examine its range of feasibility for real-time gait pattern analysis. A total of fifteen healthy adults (male: 10, female: 5, age 25.1 ± 2.64) were recruited for this study. Performance evaluation of the developed insole sensor was first executed by comparing the signal accuracy level between the SMSI and an F-scan. Gait data were simultaneously collected by two sensors for 3 min, on a treadmill, at a fixed speed. Each participant walked for four times, randomly, at the speed of 1.5 km/h (C1), 2.5 km/h (C2), 3.5 km/h (C3), and 4.5 km/h (C4). Step count from the two sensors resulted in 100% correlation in all four gait speed conditions (C1: 89 ± 7.4, C2: 113 ± 6.24, C3: 141 ± 9.74, and C4: 163 ± 7.38 steps). Stride-time was concurrently determined and R2 values showed a high correlation between the two sensors, in both feet (R² ≥ 0.90, p < 0.05). Bilateral gait coordination analysis using phase coordination index (PCI) was performed to test clinical feasibility. PCI values of the SMSI resulted in 1.75 ± 0.80% (C1), 1.72 ± 0.81% (C2), 1.72 ± 0.79% (C3), and 1.73 ± 0.80% (C4), and those of the F-scan resulted in 1.66 ± 0.66%, 1.70 ± 0.66%, 1.67 ± 0.62%, and 1.70 ± 0.62%, respectively, showing the presence of a high correlation (R² ≥ 0.94, p < 0.05). The insole developed in this study was found to have an equivalent performance to commercial sensors, and thus, can be used not only for future sensor-based monitoring device development studies but also in clinical setting for patient gait evaluations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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10 pages, 6999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spray Deposition of Ag Nanowire–Graphene Oxide Hybrid Electrodes for Flexible Polymer–Dispersed Liquid Crystal Displays

by Yumi Choi, Chang Su Kim and Sungjin Jo

Materials 2018, 11(11), 2231; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11112231 - 09 Nov 2018

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3692

Abstract

We investigated the effect of different spray-coating parameters on the electro-optical properties of Ag nanowires (NWs). Highly transparent and conductive Ag NW–graphene oxide (GO) hybrid electrodes were fabricated by using the spray-coating technique. The Ag NW percolation network was modified with GO and this led to a reduced sheet resistance of the Ag NW–GO electrode as the result of a decrease in the inter-nanowire contact resistance. Although electrical conductivity and optical transmittance of the Ag NW electrodes have a trade-off relationship, Ag NW–GO hybrid electrodes exhibited significantly improved sheet resistance and slightly decreased transmittance compared to Ag NW electrodes. Ag NW–GO hybrid electrodes were integrated into smart windows based on polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) for the first time. Experimental results showed that the electro-optical properties of the PDLCs based on Ag NW–GO electrodes were superior when compared to those of PDLCs based on only Ag NW electrodes. This study revealed that the hybrid Ag NW–GO electrode is a promising material for manufacturing the large-area flexible indium tin oxide (ITO)-free PDLCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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11 pages, 2351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electroactive Hydrogels Made with Polyvinyl Alcohol/Cellulose Nanocrystals

by Tippabattini Jayaramudu, Hyun-U Ko, Hyun Chan Kim, Jung Woong Kim, Ruth M. Muthoka and Jaehwan Kim

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091615 - 04 Sep 2018

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 6195

Abstract

This paper reports a nontoxic, soft and electroactive hydrogel made with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). The CNC incorporating PVA-CNC hydrogels were prepared using a freeze–thaw technique with different CNC concentrations. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results proved the good miscibility of CNCs with PVA. The optical transparency, water uptake capacity and mechanical properties of the prepared hydrogels were investigated in this study. The CNC incorporating PVA-CNC hydrogels showed improved displacement output in the presence of an electric field and the displacement increased with an increase in the CNC concentration. The possible actuation mechanism was an electrostatic effect and the displacement improvement of the hydrogel associated with its enhanced dielectric properties and softness. Since the prepared PVA-CNC hydrogel is nontoxic and electroactive, it can be used for biomimetic soft robots, actively reconfigurable lenses and active drug-release applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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17 pages, 9830 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Material Characterization of Hardening Soft Sponge Featuring MR Fluid and Application of 6-DOF MR Haptic Master for Robot-Assisted Surgery

by Jong-Seok Oh, Jung Woo Sohn and Seung-Bok Choi

Materials 2018, 11(8), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11081268 - 24 Jul 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3963

Abstract

In this work, the material characterization of hardening magneto-rheological (MR) sponge is analyzed and a robot-assisted surgery system integrated with a 6-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) haptic master and slave root is constructed. As a first step, the viscoelastic property of MR sponge is experimentally analyzed. Based on the viscoelastic property and controllability, a MR sponge which can mimic the several reaction force characteristics of human-like organs is devised and manufactured. Secondly, a slave robot corresponding to the degree of the haptic master is manufactured and integrated with the master. In order to manipulate the robot motion by the master, the kinematic analysis of the master and slave robots is performed. Subsequently, a simple robot cutting surgery system which is manipulated by the haptic master and MR sponge is established. It is then demonstrated from this system that using both MR devices can provide more accurate cutting surgery than the case using the haptic master only. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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9 pages, 2459 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Processing Techniques for Bioresorbable Nanoparticles in Fabricating Flexible Conductive Interconnects

by Jiameng Li, Shiyu Luo, Jiaxuan Liu, Hang Xu and Xian Huang

Materials 2018, 11(7), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11071102 - 28 Jun 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4310

Abstract

Bioresorbable electronics (or transient electronics) devices can be potentially used to replace build-to-last devices in consumer electronics, implantable devices, and data security, leading to reduced electronic waste and surgical processes through controllable dissolution. Recent development of printing bioresorbable electronics leads to bioresorbable conductive pastes or inks that can be used to make interconnects, circuit traces, and sensors, offering alternative solutions for the predominant complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes in fabrication of bioresorbable electronics. However, the conductivities offered by current bioresorbable pastes and processing techniques are still much lower than those of the bulk metals, demanding further improvement in both paste composition and process optimization. This paper aims at exploring several influential factors such as paste compositions and processing techniques in determining conductivities of bioresorbable patterns. Experimental results reveal that an optimized paste constituent with a ratio of Zn:PVP:glycerol:methanol = 7:0.007:2:1 by weight can generate stable conductive pastes suitable for a screen printing process. In addition, a high conductivity of 60,213.6 S/m can be obtained by combining hot rolling and photonic sintering. The results demonstrate that large-scale transient electronics can be obtained by combining screen printing, hot rolling and photonic sintering approaches with optimized paste compositions, offering important experimental proofs and approaches for further improving the conductivity of bioresorbable pastes or inks that can accommodate the demands for mass fabrication and practical use in electronic industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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16 pages, 3590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Optical Biosensing Strategy Based on Selective Light Absorption and Wavelength Filtering from Chromogenic Reaction

by Hyeong Jin Chun, Yong Duk Han, Yoo Min Park, Ka Ram Kim, Seok Jae Lee and Hyun C. Yoon

Materials 2018, 11(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11030388 - 06 Mar 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4216

Abstract

To overcome the time and space constraints in disease diagnosis via the biosensing approach, we developed a new signal-transducing strategy that can be applied to colorimetric optical biosensors. Our study is focused on implementation of a signal transduction technology that can directly translate the color intensity signals—that require complicated optical equipment for the analysis—into signals that can be easily counted with the naked eye. Based on the selective light absorption and wavelength-filtering principles, our new optical signaling transducer was built from a common computer monitor and a smartphone. In this signal transducer, the liquid crystal display (LCD) panel of the computer monitor served as a light source and a signal guide generator. In addition, the smartphone was used as an optical receiver and signal display. As a biorecognition layer, a transparent and soft material-based biosensing channel was employed generating blue output via a target-specific bienzymatic chromogenic reaction. Using graphics editor software, we displayed the optical signal guide patterns containing multiple polygons (a triangle, circle, pentagon, heptagon, and 3/4 circle, each associated with a specified color ratio) on the LCD monitor panel. During observation of signal guide patterns displayed on the LCD monitor panel using a smartphone camera via the target analyte-loaded biosensing channel as a color-filtering layer, the number of observed polygons changed according to the concentration of the target analyte via the spectral correlation between absorbance changes in a solution of the biosensing channel and color emission properties of each type of polygon. By simple counting of the changes in the number of polygons registered by the smartphone camera, we could efficiently measure the concentration of a target analyte in a sample without complicated and expensive optical instruments. In a demonstration test on glucose as a model analyte, we could easily measure the concentration of glucose in the range from 0 to 10 mM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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Review

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23 pages, 5534 KiB

Open AccessReview

Materials and Devices for Biodegradable and Soft Biomedical Electronics

by Rongfeng Li, Liu Wang and Lan Yin

Materials 2018, 11(11), 2108; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11112108 - 26 Oct 2018

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 8067

Abstract

Biodegradable and soft biomedical electronics that eliminate secondary surgery and ensure intimate contact with soft biological tissues of the human body are of growing interest, due to their emerging applications in high-quality healthcare monitoring and effective disease treatments. Recent systematic studies have significantly expanded the biodegradable electronic materials database, and various novel transient systems have been proposed. Biodegradable materials with soft properties and integration schemes of flexible or/and stretchable platforms will further advance electronic systems that match the properties of biological systems, providing an important step along the path towards clinical trials. This review focuses on recent progress and achievements in biodegradable and soft electronics for biomedical applications. The available biodegradable materials in their soft formats, the associated novel fabrication schemes, the device layouts, and the functionality of a variety of fully bioresorbable and soft devices, are reviewed. Finally, the key challenges and possible future directions of biodegradable and soft electronics are provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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21 pages, 3957 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biocompatible and Implantable Optical Fibers and Waveguides for Biomedicine

by Roya Nazempour, Qianyi Zhang, Ruxing Fu and Xing Sheng

Materials 2018, 11(8), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11081283 - 25 Jul 2018

Cited by 89 | Viewed by 8179

Abstract

Optical fibers and waveguides in general effectively control and modulate light propagation, and these tools have been extensively used in communication, lighting and sensing. Recently, they have received increasing attention in biomedical applications. By delivering light into deep tissue via these devices, novel applications including biological sensing, stimulation and therapy can be realized. Therefore, implantable fibers and waveguides in biocompatible formats with versatile functionalities are highly desirable. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress in the exploration of advanced optical fibers and waveguides for biomedical applications. Specifically, we highlight novel materials design and fabrication strategies to form implantable fibers and waveguides. Furthermore, their applications in various biomedical fields such as light therapy, optogenetics, fluorescence sensing and imaging are discussed. We believe that these newly developed fiber and waveguide based devices play a crucial role in advanced optical biointerfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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24 pages, 3204 KiB

Open AccessReview

Flexible and Stretchable Bio-Integrated Electronics Based on Carbon Nanotube and Graphene

by Taemin Kim, Myeongki Cho and Ki Jun Yu

Materials 2018, 11(7), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11071163 - 08 Jul 2018

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 6392

Abstract

Scientific and engineering progress associated with increased interest in healthcare monitoring, therapy, and human-machine interfaces has rapidly accelerated the development of bio-integrated multifunctional devices. Recently, compensation for the cons of existing materials on electronics for health care systems has been provided by carbon-based nanomaterials. Due to their excellent mechanical and electrical properties, these materials provide benefits such as improved flexibility and stretchability for conformal integration with the soft, curvilinear surfaces of human tissues or organs, while maintaining their own unique functions. This review summarizes the most recent advanced biomedical devices and technologies based on two most popular carbon based materials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene. In the beginning, we discuss the biocompatibility of CNTs and graphene by examining their cytotoxicity and/or detrimental effects on the human body for application to bioelectronics. Then, we scrutinize the various types of flexible and/or stretchable substrates that are integrated with CNTs and graphene for the construction of high-quality active electrode arrays and sensors. The convergence of these carbon-based materials and bioelectronics ensures scalability and cooperativity in various fields. Finally, future works with challenges are presented in bio-integrated electronic applications with these carbon-based materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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24 pages, 57094 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Advances in Materials for Recent Low-Profile Implantable Bioelectronics

by Yanfei Chen, Yun-Soung Kim, Bryan W. Tillman, Woon-Hong Yeo and Youngjae Chun

Materials 2018, 11(4), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11040522 - 29 Mar 2018

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7617

Abstract

The rapid development of micro/nanofabrication technologies to engineer a variety of materials has enabled new types of bioelectronics for health monitoring and disease diagnostics. In this review, we summarize widely used electronic materials in recent low-profile implantable systems, including traditional metals and semiconductors, soft polymers, biodegradable metals, and organic materials. Silicon-based compounds have represented the traditional materials in medical devices, due to the fully established fabrication processes. Examples include miniaturized sensors for monitoring intraocular pressure and blood pressure, which are designed in an ultra-thin diaphragm to react with the applied pressure. These sensors are integrated into rigid circuits and multiple modules; this brings challenges regarding the fundamental material’s property mismatch with the targeted human tissues, which are intrinsically soft. Therefore, many polymeric materials have been investigated for hybrid integration with well-characterized functional materials such as silicon membranes and metal interconnects, which enable soft implantable bioelectronics. The most recent trend in implantable systems uses transient materials that naturally dissolve in body fluid after a programmed lifetime. Such biodegradable metallic materials are advantageous in the design of electronics due to their proven electrical properties. Collectively, this review delivers the development history of materials in implantable devices, while introducing new bioelectronics based on bioresorbable materials with multiple functionalities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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33 pages, 4039 KiB

Open AccessReview

Soft Material-Enabled, Flexible Hybrid Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces

by Robert Herbert, Jong-Hoon Kim, Yun Soung Kim, Hye Moon Lee and Woon-Hong Yeo

Materials 2018, 11(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11020187 - 24 Jan 2018

Cited by 166 | Viewed by 13866

Abstract

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), designed in wearable and implantable configurations, have enormous applications in advanced healthcare, rapid disease diagnostics, and persistent human-machine interfaces. Soft, contoured geometries and time-dynamic deformation of the targeted tissues require high flexibility and stretchability of the integrated bioelectronics. Recent progress in developing and engineering soft materials has provided a unique opportunity to design various types of mechanically compliant and deformable systems. Here, we summarize the required properties of soft materials and their characteristics for configuring sensing and substrate components in wearable and implantable devices and systems. Details of functionality and sensitivity of the recently developed FHE are discussed with the application areas in medicine, healthcare, and machine interactions. This review concludes with a discussion on limitations of current materials, key requirements for next generation materials, and new application areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Material-Enabled Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces)

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