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Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensor Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2020) | Viewed by 35023

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vitor Sencadas

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Guest Editor

1. School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
2. ARC Center of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: stretchable sensors; electroactive materials; soft robotics; piezoelectric materials and devices; piezoresistive sensors; polymer synthesis and characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Flexible and wearable sensing technologies to monitor the most complex human physical and physiological motions are drawing the attention of the scientific community. Sensing and actuation platforms that can actively monitor the surroundings with acquired physical data—like strain, pH, temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds, and shear—are the origin of a diverse range of technological applications—including soft robotics, wearable electronics, electronic skin, health monitoring, prosthetic devices and personalized medicine. Novel actuators for soft robotics are being developed based on stretchable materials, to achieve a degree of movement difficult to achieve with the current technology.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide the latest developments in the manufacturing and application of smart sensor devices for personalized medicine and healthcare applications. It is welcome scientific work in the development of novel manufacturing technologies, materials, sensor devices, implementation, and device demonstrations for smart sensing.

Dr. Vitor Sencadas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Electronic Skin
Flexible Sensors
Personalized Medicine
Health Monitoring
Soft Robotics
Tactile Sensing
Liquid-State Devices
Sensors and Actuators
Human Motion Detection
Wearable Devices
Nanocomposites
Piezoresistivity
Piezoelectricity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

FairCs—Blockchain-Based Fair Crowdsensing Scheme using Trusted Execution Environment

by Yihuai Liang, Yan Li and Byeong-Seok Shin

Sensors 2020, 20(11), 3172; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113172 - 03 Jun 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2792

Abstract

Crowdsensing applications provide platforms for sharing sensing data collected by mobile devices. A blockchain system has the potential to replace a traditional centralized trusted third party for crowdsensing services to perform operations that involve evaluating the quality of sensing data, finishing payment, and storing sensing data and so forth. The requirements which are codified as smart contracts are executed to evaluate the quality of sensing data in a blockchain. However, regardless of the fact that the quality of sensing data may actually be sufficient, one key challenge is that malicious requesters can deliberately publish abnormal requirements that cause failure to occur in the quality evaluation process. If requesters control a miner node or full node, they can access the data without making payment; this is because of the transparency of data stored in the blockchain. This issue promotes unfair dealing and severely lowers the motivation of workers to participate in crowdsensing tasks. We (i) propose a novel crowdsensing scheme to address this issue using Trusted Execution Environments; (ii) offer a solution for the confidentiality and integrity of sensing data, which is only accessible by the worker and corresponding requester; (iii) and finally, report on the implementation of a prototype and evaluate its performance. Our results demonstrate that the proposed solution can guarantee fairness without a significant increase in overhead. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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14 pages, 4611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Objective Portable Measurement Device for Spinal Joint Accessory Motion Testing

by Hsiao-Kuan Wu, Hung-Jen Lai, Ting Teng and Chung-Huang Yu

Sensors 2020, 20(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20010100 - 23 Dec 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2239

Abstract

Joint accessory motion testing (JAMT) is a standard procedure used by manual therapists to assess and treat musculoskeletal disorders. Joint accessory motion (JAM) is movement that occurs between joint surfaces, and can be induced by applying force. The motion amount, end feel, symptoms, and resistance perceived by therapists during test procedures are recorded as evidence for the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment decision making, and intervention outcome. However, previous studies have shown that accessory motion tests have insufficient reliability. Recently, many instruments have been developed to increase test reliability, but these instruments quantify the test results with a single probe and utilize the external environment as a reference. Therefore, the measured displacement amount may be affected by other spinal segments. This study proposes an objective portable measurement device with two indenter probes for spinal JAMT, wherein the JAM was quantified by displacement and force measurements between two bones. The instrument was verified with a homemade spinal simulator and computer simulation. The results showed that the force-displacement curves measured by the JAMT device (JAMTD) and those simulated by the computer model exhibited similar characteristics. Moreover, a two-probe measurement could distinguish the differences in stiffness better than a one-probe measurement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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11 pages, 2219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

PDMS Microlenses for Focusing Light in Narrow Band Imaging Diagnostics

by Adriana C. Costa, Sara Pimenta, João F. Ribeiro, Manuel F. Silva, Reinoud F. Wolffenbuttel, Tao Dong, Zhaochu Yang and José H. Correia

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051057 - 01 Mar 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5556

Abstract

Minimally invasive medical devices can greatly benefit from Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) diagnostic capabilities, as different wavelengths allow penetration of distinct layers of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa, improving diagnostic accuracy and targeting different pathologies. An important performance parameter is the light intensity at a given power consumption of the medical device. A method to increase the illumination intensity in the NBI diagnostic technique was developed and applied to minimally invasive medical devices (e.g., endoscopic capsules), without increasing the size and power consumption of such instruments. Endoscopic capsules are generally equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the RGB (red, green, and blue) visible light spectrum. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) µ-lens was designed for a maximum light intensity at the target area of interest when placed on top of the LEDs. The PDMS µ-lens was fabricated using a low-cost hanging droplet method. Experiments reveal an increased illumination intensity by a factor of 1.21 for both the blue and green LEDs and 1.18 for the red LED. These promising results can increase the resolution of NBI in endoscopic capsules, which can contribute to early gastric lesions diagnosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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21 pages, 15395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two-layer Electrospun System Enabling Wound Exudate Management and Visual Infection Response

by Mohamed Basel Bazbouz and Giuseppe Tronci

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19050991 - 26 Feb 2019

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 6810

Abstract

The spread of antimicrobial resistance calls for chronic wound management devices that can engage with the wound exudate and signal infection by prompt visual effects. Here, the manufacture of a two-layer fibrous device with independently-controlled exudate management capability and visual infection responsivity was investigated by sequential free surface electrospinning of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (PMMA-co-MAA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). By selecting wound pH as infection indicator, PMMA-co-MAA fibres were encapsulated with halochromic bromothymol blue (BTB) to trigger colour changes at infection-induced alkaline pH. Likewise, the exudate management capability was integrated via the synthesis of a thermally-crosslinked network in electrospun PAA layer. PMMA-co-MAA fibres revealed high BTB loading efficiency (>80 wt.%) and demonstrated prompt colour change and selective dye release at infected-like media (pH > 7). The synthesis of the thermally-crosslinked PAA network successfully enabled high water uptake (WU = 1291 ± 48 − 2369 ± 34 wt.%) and swelling index (SI = 272 ± 4 − 285 ± 3 a.%), in contrast to electrospun PAA controls. This dual device functionality was lost when the same building blocks were configured in a single-layer mesh of core-shell fibres, whereby significant BTB release (~70 wt.%) was measured even at acidic pH. This study therefore demonstrates how the fibrous configuration can be conveniently manipulated to trigger structure-induced functionalities critical to chronic wound management and monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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Review

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30 pages, 2346 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Advent of Salivary Breast Cancer Biomarker Detection Using Affinity Sensors

by Imad Abrao Nemeir, Joseph Saab, Walid Hleihel, Abdelhamid Errachid, Nicole Jafferzic-Renault and Nadia Zine

Sensors 2019, 19(10), 2373; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19102373 - 23 May 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5795

Abstract

Breast Cancer is one of the world’s most notorious diseases affecting two million women in 2018 worldwide. It is a highly heterogeneous disease, making it difficult to treat. However, its linear progression makes it a candidate for early screening programs, and the earlier its detection the higher the chance of recovery. However, one key hurdle for breast cancer screening is the fact that most screening techniques are expensive, time-consuming, and cumbersome, making them impractical for use in several parts of the world. One current trend in breast cancer detection has pointed to a possible solution, the use of salivary breast cancer biomarkers. Saliva is an attractive medium for diagnosis because it is readily available in large quantities, easy to obtain at low cost, and contains all the biomarkers present in blood, albeit in lower quantities. Affinity sensors are devices that detect molecules through their interactions with biological recognition molecules. Their low cost, high sensitivity, and selectivity, as well as rapid detection time make them an attractive alternative to traditional means of detection. In this review article, we discuss the current status of breast cancer diagnosis, its salivary biomarkers, as well as the current trends in the development of affinity sensors for their detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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16 pages, 3143 KiB

Open AccessReview

Functional Sensing Interfaces of PEDOT:PSS Organic Electrochemical Transistors for Chemical and Biological Sensors: A Mini Review

by Jianjun Liao, Hewei Si, Xidong Zhang and Shiwei Lin

Sensors 2019, 19(2), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19020218 - 09 Jan 2019

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 10045

Abstract

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are promising devices for applications in in vitro and in vivo measurements. OECTs have two important sensing interfaces for signal monitoring: One is the gate electrode surface; the other is the channel surface. This mini review introduced the new developments in chemical and biological detection of the two sensing interfaces. Specific focus was given on the modification technological approaches of the gate or channel surface. In particular, some unique strategies and surface designs aiming to facilitate signal-transduction and amplification were discussed. Several perspectives and current challenges of OECTs development were also briefly summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Actuators for Personalized Medicine and Healthcare Applications)

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