Abstract
Soldiers/defense personnel on the battlefield are vulnerable to the effects of lethal weapons, explosives, and chemical toxins/harmful substances (chemical and biological warfare). In addition, the soldiers are subject to occupational hazards such as chronic stress, fatigue, and musculoskeletal injuries, as they carry heavy military equipment, food materials, and essential supplies over a long distance. It is also observed that some unpredictable factors such as extreme weather conditions, intense physical exertion, sleep deprivation, and frequent dietary changes create immense emotional and mental stress for soldiers. These stressors can hamper operational effectiveness and soldier well-being. Prolonged stress could lead to poor decision-making, impaired motivation, and loss of activity and may create accidents. A biosensor is thus becoming a critical device in the defense sector for its ability to detect toxic gases, including chemical warfare agents, and for monitoring the well-being of defense personnel. Biosensors are being developed for real-time monitoring of a combat soldier’s health status to improve mission efficiency. Electrochemical biosensors could also be used to understand how soldiers respond to specific environmental conditions, exhaustion, or dietary changes. In this chapter, recent developments made in the area of electrochemical biosensing tools used for detecting biological and chemical warfare agents are summarized. Similarly, sensors developed for monitoring the health of defense personnel are described.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
