Dynamic borax-crosslinked transparent and antifreezing tragacanth gum-glycerol hydrogel for biomedical use.

Wearable health monitoring devices have been widely explored to enable continuous monitoring of physiological vital signals, such as electrocardiogram (ECG). In this work, we investigate the applicability of ECG signals from such wearable devices in human identification. In the 5-subject study we undertook, the proposed method exhibits near-100% recognition rates based on single heartbeats, even with a six-month interval between the training and testing data. This indicates that ECG signals can be used as robust biometrics and as an automatic login solution for such wearable health monitoring devices.

Students’ emotional being should be understood in real-time, as it is important for enhanced engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. Wearable IoT-based health monitoring devices are used to develop a multimodal emotion prediction system that integrates heart rate variability (HRV) and eye-movement data. Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors for HRV and electrooculography (EOG) for eye movement tracking are employed by the system, with data acquisition handled by Arduino microcontrollers and storage on a secure cloud platform. Twenty-five healthy university students participated in controlled laboratory experiments that involved video stimuli designed to elicit four emotional states: neutral, happy, sad, and shock. To minimize individual variability, baseline normalization using neutral stimuli was applied. Through PPG signals, HRV metrics were computed while extracting eye movement features from EOG data. To assess the contribution of each signal type, classification models were trained using a multimodal fusion approach. Post-analysis results revealed that HRV exhibits distinct patterns across emotions, with happiness showing the highest variability and shock the lowest. The optimal initial heart rate for accurate emotion detection ranged between 65 and 70 bpm. Compared with HRV-only models, incorporating eye-movement data improves classification accuracy by 12%, confirming the robustness of multimodal integration. The system achieved an overall average accuracy of 87% across all emotional states. These findings align with recent literature on physiology-based prediction and demonstrate the feasibility of real-time emotion tracking using wearable devices in educational settings. The proposed system offers a measurable infusion for emotion-aware learning environments, enabling adaptive teaching strategies based on students' emotional responses. Future research could examine deep learning models, as well as additional physiological features such as EEG, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate, to improve prediction accuracy.

The growth of IoT technology, increasing prevalence of embedded devices, and advancements in biomedical technology have led to the emergence of numerous wearable health monitoring devices (WHMDs) in clinical settings and in the community. The majority of these devices are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled. Though the advantages offered by BLE-enabled WHMDs in tracking, diagnosing, and intervening with patients are substantial, the risk of cyberattacks on these devices is likely to increase with device complexity and new communication protocols. Furthermore, vendors face risk and financial tradeoffs between speed to market and ensuring device security in all situations. Previous research has explored the security and privacy of such devices by manually testing popular BLE-enabled WHMDs in the market and generally discussed categories of possible attacks, while mostly focused on IP devices. In this work, we propose a new semi-automated framework that can be used to identify and discover both known and unknown vulnerabilities in WHMDs. To demonstrate its implementation, we validate it with a number of commercially available BLE-enabled enabled wearable devices. Our results show that the devices are vulnerable to a number of attacks, including eavesdropping, data manipulation, and denial of service attacks. The proposed framework could therefore be used to evaluate potential devices before adoption into a secure network or, ideally, during the design and implementation of new devices.

Profited from the rapid development of flexible skin‐like electronic materials and artificial intelligent technology, remarkable achievements have been witnessed in wearable health monitoring devices in recent years. The wearable intelligent systems featured with tailored structures and compositions as well as enriched functions enable human beings to access to next‐generation closed‐loop platform for early disease prevention and diagnosis. In this context, this mini‐review focuses on the recent progress and applications of flexible wearable intelligent health monitoring devices. Specifically, the basic sensing mechanisms and corresponding property requirements for wearable healthcare devices are examined firstly. Secondly, the versatile applications of advanced wearable devices for detecting temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and glucose are scrutinized exclusively. Finally, a brief summary is presented accompanying with future outlook in terms of material preparation, mechanism development and integration design of monitoring systems. This manuscript is expected to provide critical guidelines to those working in skin‐like electronics, flexible sensors, wearable intelligent devices, health monitoring and other related disciplines, especially for the beginners.

AimTo explore the perceptions of elderly patients with chronic diseases and their healthcare providers on the use of wearable devices for home health monitoring, identifying barriers and facilitators to their effective adoption in China's rapidly aging population.BackgroundAs China's population ages, managing chronic diseases among elderly patients has become increasingly complex. Wearable health monitoring devices offer a promising solution, enabling remote and continuous health tracking. However, the adoption of these devices remains limited, particularly among elderly patients. Understanding the perspectives of both patients and healthcare providers is crucial for optimizing wearable device use in chronic disease management.DesignA qualitative descriptive study.MethodFrom May 2023 to March 2024, semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 elderly patients and 11 healthcare providers in Nanjing, China. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's 7-step method, generating key themes that address both the challenges and opportunities in adopting wearable health technologies.FindingsSeven major themes emerged: (1) Technology Acceptance and Motivation, (2) Changes in Social Support and Interaction, (3) Adjustments in Healthcare Work Modes, (4) Barriers and Risks in Technology Application, (5) Device Compliance and Knowledge Gaps, (6) Identifying Key Features for Quality Assessment of Wearable Devices, and (7) The Role of Customization and Adaptability. While the potential benefits of wearable devices for chronic disease management were widely recognized, concerns about complexity, cost, and data security were key obstacles.ConclusionWearable devices hold significant potential for improving the management of chronic diseases among elderly patients, yet multiple barriers hinder their widespread adoption. Addressing issues related to usability, privacy, and affordability, alongside providing education and policy support, will be critical to enhancing their integration into healthcare settings.Implications for the Profession and Patient CareThis study underscores the importance of creating targeted strategies to overcome the challenges in using wearable health devices among elderly patients. Healthcare providers and policymakers should focus on simplifying technology, enhancing patient education, and addressing privacy concerns to foster broader acceptance and use of these devices in chronic disease care.ImpactBy promoting the adoption of wearable health technologies, healthcare systems can improve chronic disease management outcomes for elderly patients, reduce the burden on healthcare services, and support a more patient-centered approach to care.Patient or Public ContributionElderly patients with chronic diseases and their healthcare providers contributed valuable insights by sharing their experiences with wearable health monitoring devices, shaping the study's findings.

Wearable devices for health monitoring like electrocardiography(ECG) use commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes to detect signals, but they can cause skin irrtation and lead unreliable data during prolonged usage. This work shows alternative ECG electrodes, we obtained these electrodes using Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PE-DOT:PSS) hydrogel and commercially flexible materials. 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) could increase the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS and make the formation of hydrogel in commercially flexible materials at a short time. We validated the impedance and ECG signals of these flexible electrodes, and found the optimized one(wound dressing) compared to commercial electrode and got the equivalent circuit model of it. Furthermore, we designed the ECG flexible printed circuit matching the optimized electrode to form a patch, and used the patch as wearable device to detect the ECG signals of volunteer in static condition and got the variation of heart rate value in dynamic condition. The interface impedance of our ECG electrode was small compared to commercial electrodes and the ECG signals were similar with them. The results of on-body testing shown our electrode with FPC could work as wearable devices for health monitoring in both static and dynamic conditions. These results suggest that our electrode could be alternated commercial electrode due to its high conductivity, biocompatibility, flexibility, recyclability and low price.

Flexible electronic sensors have garnered considerable interest in wearable health-monitoring devices and electronic skin. In this work, a simple method for the fabrication of flexible zinc oxide-graphene nanoplatelets (ZnO-GNP) nanocomposite based strain sensors has been proposed. The sensing element was deposited on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate by a facile spin and peel strategy to yield flexible sandwiched sensors. Effect of varying the blending ratio of the constituents on the electromechanical responses of the sensors was studied. The sensors exhibited high stretchability, good sensitivity, high reversibility and superior stability under tensile and bending loads. The flexible nanocomposite sensors were able to detect extensive human movements such as bending of the elbow, wrist and finger and also subtle motions such as eye blinking, wrist pulse and phonation. Owing to the facile and economical fabrication method, high sensitivity and good reversibility, the ZnO-GNP sensors have high prospect of application in wearable health monitoring devices, robotics and various forms of human-machine interface.

Strain sensors used in electronic skins, wearable devices for health monitoring, and implanted devices should have high sensitivity, flexibility, simplicity, and low cost. The fabrication of highly sensitive and flexible nanomaterial-based strain sensors generally requires self-assembly, transfer, and other complex processes. Thus, this study proposed a simple and efficient method for the production of a flexible strain sensor based on Au thin film, which was prepared only through common microfabrication technologies and could realize the mass production of highly sensitive and flexible strain sensors. A transitional Cr layer was fabricated for the improvement of the adhesion force between the Au and polyimide films. Additionally, the gauge factor of the sensor reached 220, and the sensor exhibited good repeatability during the multiple cycle tests. Moreover, the response time of sensor was approximately 300 ms. The high sensitivity was attributed to the combined action of microcrack formation and the size effect of the ultra-thin films, which were characterized through atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Because of these excellent properties, this ultrasensitive and flexible strain sensor based on Au thin films has potential applications in electronic skins and wearable devices.

Emerging intelligent wearable devices for cardiovascular health monitoring

Wearable devices have the potential to transform multiple facets of human life, including healthcare, activity monitoring, and interaction with computers. However, a number of technical and adaptation challenges hinder the widespread and daily usage of wearable devices. Recent research efforts have focused on identifying these challenges and solving them such that the potential of wearable devices can be realized. This monograph starts with a survey of the recent literature on the challenges faced by wearable devices. Then, it discusses potential solutions to each of the challenges. We start with the primary application areas that provide value to the users of wearable devices. We then present recent work on the design of physically flexible and bendable devices that aim to improve user comfort. We also discuss state-of-the-art energy harvesting and security solutions that can improve user compliance of wearable devices. Overall, this monograph aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for challenges and solutions towards self-powered wearable devices for health and activity monitoring.

BackgroundThe rapid diffusion of wearable electronic health monitoring devices (wearable devices or wearables) among lay populations shows that self-tracking and self-monitoring are pervasively expanding, while influencing health-related practices. General practitioners are confronted with this phenomenon, since they often are the expert-voice that patients will seek.ObjectiveThis article aims to explore general practitioners’ perceptions of the role of wearable devices in family medicine and of their benefits, risks, and challenges associated with their use. It also explores their perceptions of the future development of these devices.MethodsData were collected during a medical conference among 19 Swiss general practitioners through mind maps. Maps were first sketched at the conference and their content was later compared with notes and reports written during the conference, which allowed for further integration of information. This tool represents an innovative methodology in qualitative research that allows for time-efficient data collection and data analysis.ResultsData analysis highlighted that wearable devices were described as user-friendly, adaptable devices that could enable performance monitoring and support medical research. Benefits included support for patients’ empowerment and education, behavior change facilitation, better awareness of personal medical history and body functioning, efficient information transmission, and connection with the patient’s medical network; however, general practitioners were concerned by a lack of scientific validation, lack of clarity over data protection, and the risk of stakeholder-associated financial interests. Other perceived risks included the promotion of an overly medicalized health culture and the risk of supporting patients’ self-diagnosis and self-medication. General practitioners also feared increased pressure on their workload and a compromised doctor–patient relationship. Finally, they raised important questions that can guide wearables’ future design and development, highlighting a need for general practitioners and medical professionals to be involved in the process.ConclusionsWearables play an increasingly central role in daily health-related practices, and general practitioners expressed a desire to become more involved in the development of such technologies. Described as useful information providers, wearables were generally positively perceived and did not seem to pose a threat to the doctor–patient relationship. However, general practitioners expressed their concern that wearables may fuel a self-monitoring logic, to the detriment of patients’ autonomy and overall well-being. While wearables can contribute to health promotion, it is crucial to clarify the logic underpinning the design of such devices. Through the analysis of group discussions, this study contributes to the existing literature by presenting general practitioners’ perceptions of wearable devices. This paper provides insight on general practitioners’ perception to be considered in the context of product development and marketing.

Factors affecting female college students’ intention to use digital technology in wearable devices to stimulate health monitoring

Flexible ferroelectric wearable devices for medical applications.

A UV-filtering, environmentally stable, healable and recyclable ionic hydrogel towards multifunctional flexible strain sensor

Wearable health-monitoring devices have attracted increasing attention in disease diagnosis and health assessment. In many cases, such devices have been prepared by complicated multistep procedures which result in the waste of materials and require expensive facilities. In this study, we focused on pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS), which is a low-cost, simple, and flexible material, used as wearable devices for monitoring human activity. We investigated wearable devices based on PGSs for the observation of elbow and finger motions. The thin graphite films were fabricated by cutting small films from PGSs. The wearable devices were then made from the thin graphite films assembled on a commercially available rubber glove. The human motions could be observed using the wearable devices. Therefore, these results suggested that the wearable devices based on thin graphite films may broaden their application in cost-effective wearable electronics for the observation of human activity.