On-demand Delivery Research Articles

Resisting technological inevitability: Google Wing's delivery drones and the fight for our skies.

Efforts to realize on-demand delivery drone networks present a stark example of how the technology industry seeks to dominate new markets, regardless of societal consequences. Analyzing the most advanced of these efforts-Google Wing's operations in Australia since 2017-we identify the instrumental role of narratives of technological inevitability (of tech expansion, and societal adaptation) in catalyzing new sky-based commerce. Yet the interest of this case study lies in a twist. Google Wing's rollout in Australia's capital, Canberra, initially proceeded as a textbook example of tech expansion. However, citizen engagement and public governance dramatically intervened and, we argue, disrupted the logic of technological inevitability. This article is the first to analyze these dynamics, many of which originated with Bonython Against Drones (BAD), a community action group forged from those who first lived under Google's food delivery drones. The article exposes the flawed logic of technological inevitability as the enabling force of tech expansion; characterizes the governance failures that help install corporate visions for public goods; animates the potentialities of communities living with new technologies; and identifies the sky itself, as both a public commons and a vital, living habitat, as a key future locus for participatory governance. This article is part of the theme issue 'Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance'.

Rethinking and redesigning storage, packaging and distribution practices for food supply chain

PurposeThe study aims to add to the existing literature on food supply chains by specifically taking into the redesigning of the alignment of storage, packaging and distribution practices in the modern complex supply chain. The redesign of the food supply chain’s storage, distribution and packaging is a transformative endeavor ultimately aimed at enhancing efficiency, sustainability and reliability.Design/methodology/approachIn order to identify, classify and prioritize the main challenges, this study conducted an extensive analysis of the literature and experts’ opinions in the areas of academia, information technology and the food supply chain (FSC) using combined compromise solution method (CoCoSo) and complex proportional assessment (COPRAS).FindingsThe top three classes of key indicators revealed in this study are dynamic route optimization and on-demand delivery pods (RD4), implementation of active packaging with nanotechnology (RP3) and collaborative last-mile (RD2). The findings reveal that dynamic route optimization and on-demand delivery pods (RD4) and collaborative last-mile (RD2) are maintaining a balance between collaborative delivery networks through route optimization which is a very discussable theme in recent literature.Originality/valueThe research provides fresh insights into how perishable food shelf life parameters and the use of distribution networks within the short supply chain can be taken into consideration when redesigning the storage, packaging and distribution system for food supply chains.

New approaches and performance analysis of on-demand delivery systems using buses

With the rapid growth of on-demand delivery, traditional third-party delivery services using electric bicycles face increasing challenges, including increased labor costs and safety issues. To address these issues, we propose two modes for on-demand delivery systems using buses. One is the “bus terminal + professional crowd shippers” (B&P) mode, which involves consolidating parcels from various origins at the bus transfer hub. From there, they are grouped and delivered by buses. The other is the “bus stop + crowdsourced passenger” (B&C) mode, which transports parcels directly from the origin to the destination by passengers without the need for consolidation and sorting at bus transfer hubs. Both modes fully utilize the surplus capacity of buses and employ resources from retail stores and third-party shippers. We evaluated these modes using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as labor costs, cost increases from en-route destination changes, and average delivery time per kilometer. This analysis was based on 18,349 delivery cases in downtown Ningbo, China. Through this evaluation, we identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with each mode. Our findings reveal that both the B&P and B&C modes effectively reduce delivery costs and external impacts while maintaining a user experience and efficiency level comparable to traditional third-party delivery services for mid-to-long-distance (3–10 km) deliveries. However, the use of public transportation may limit the flexibility of the delivery mode. Based on these insights, we provide strategic recommendations for the further development and implementation of B&P and B&C modes.

A Study of Global Path Planning System for Traffic Information Aware On-demand Delivery Services Using Autonomous Mobilities

A Study of Global Path Planning System for Traffic Information Aware On-demand Delivery Services Using Autonomous Mobilities

Reactive Oxygen Species Responsive Supramolecular Prodrug Eyedrops for the Treatment of Choroidal Neovascularization.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) represents a hallmark of neovascular fundus diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Traditional eyedrops have encountered formidable challenges in treating CNV, primarily due to their extremely poor intraocular bioavailability and potential adverse off-target effects. Herein, an ocular-permeable supramolecular prodrug eyedrop (Di-DAS/P-PCD) has been developed for the on-demand delivery of antiangiogenic agents in the oxidative microenvironment of CNV. The eyedrop nanoformulation is composed of cell-penetrating peptide-modified PEGylated cyclodextrin (P-PCD) and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive antiangiogenic dasatinib prodrug Di-DAS. In a laser-induced CNV mouse model, daily instillation of Di-DAS/P-PCD has achieved remarkable penetration into the choroid and significantly suppressed CNV growth while exhibiting a good biocompatibility profile. Our results highlight the potential of the supramolecular prodrug eyedrops as a versatile approach for the targeted treatment of CNV and other neovascular eye disorders.

Hydrogel-Embedded Polydimethylsiloxane Contact Lens for Ocular Drug Delivery.

Topical administration is the commonly preferred method of administering ophthalmic formulations, with the majority of available medications in the form of eye drops or ointments. However, the topical application of ophthalmological medications has less bioavailability and a short residence time because of the physiological and anatomical constraints of the eye, making efficient ophthalmic drug delivery a challenging task. Microfluidic contact lenses have the advantage of delivering drugs into the eye in a controlled and on-demand manner. Here, we showcase the use of hydrogel-embedded microcavities on PDMS-based contact lenses for ocular drug delivery applications. The fabrication technique adopted here is the spontaneous formation of the spherical cavity by hydrogel monomer droplet, followed by the simultaneous thermal curing of hydrogel and PDMS, creating a spherical cavity as small as 150 μm. The spherical cavity is embedded with pH-responsive hydrogel for on-demand drug delivery. The drug loaded in the hydrogel matrix is released into the ocular environment by diffusion. The spherical cavity with a narrow opening restricts the diffusion to a minimum under normal ocular pH conditions(pH > 6). When the ocular pH reduces (pH < 6), the pH-responsive hydrogel inside the spherical cavity deswell and accelerates the drug release.

Precarity and agency in youthspaces of work: The case of food delivery platform workers in Athens, Greece

The growth of digital platforms is spawning new, if often precarious, forms of work. One such type of work that has particularly grown in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is that of digital platform-facilitated on-demand food delivery services. Such deliveries are often undertaken by younger workers. Given this, here we explore the following research questions: (i) what forms of labour precarity are found and reproduced in the physical and digital spaces that young food delivery platform (FDP) workers create and inhabit?; and (ii) what types of agency do FDP workers develop within these spaces in order to navigate – and sometimes resist – precarity? Drawing upon concepts from critical Youth Studies, Geographical Political Economy and Labour Geography, the article develops the concept of precarious youthspaces of work to investigate the connections between youths’ everyday lives and the production of space. To do so we present a qualitative study conducted in Athens, Greece, that sought to capture the multifaceted working arrangements of FDP workers, both offline and online. Our analysis reveals that FDP workers suffer various forms of labour precarity which they must navigate. But such workers are not just accommodating to precarity. They have also generated forms of collective oppositional agency that are reshaping local labour markets. However, whilst their agency has sometimes generated solidarity and robust collective movements it has also led to divisions that have limited cooperation amongst FDP workers.

Microorganism microneedle micro-engine depth drug delivery

As a transdermal drug delivery method, microneedles offer minimal invasiveness, painlessness, and precise in-situ treatment. However, current microneedles rely on passive diffusion, leading to uncontrollable drug penetration. To overcome this, we developed a pneumatic microneedle patch that uses live Enterobacter aerogenes as microengines to actively control drug delivery. These microbes generate gas, driving drugs into deeper tissues, with adjustable glucose concentration allowing precise control over the process. Our results showed that this microorganism-powered system increases drug delivery depth by over 200%, reaching up to 1000 μm below the skin. In a psoriasis animal model, the technology effectively delivered calcitriol into subcutaneous tissues, offering rapid symptom relief. This innovation addresses the limitations of conventional microneedles, enhancing drug efficiency, transdermal permeability, and introducing a creative paradigm for on-demand controlled drug delivery.

On-Demand Delivery Platforms and Restaurant Sales

Restaurants are increasingly relying on on-demand delivery platforms (e.g., DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats) to reach customers and fulfill takeout orders. Although on-demand delivery is a valuable option for consumers, whether restaurants benefit from or are being hurt by partnering with these platforms remains unclear. This paper investigates whether and to what extent the platform delivery channel substitutes restaurants’ own takeout/dine-in channels and the net impact on restaurant revenue. Empirical analyses show that restaurants overall benefit from on-demand delivery platforms—these platforms increase restaurants’ total takeout sales while creating positive spillovers to customer dine-in visits. However, the platform effects are substantially heterogeneous, depending on the type of restaurants (independent versus chain) and the type of customer channels (takeout versus dine-in). The overall positive effect on fast-food chains is four times as large as that on independent restaurants. For takeout, delivery platforms substitute independent restaurants’ but complement chain restaurants’ own takeout sales. For dine-in, delivery platforms increase both independent and chain restaurants’ dine-in visits by a similar magnitude. Therefore, the value of delivery platforms to independent restaurants mostly comes from the increase in dine-in visits, whereas the value to chain restaurants primarily comes from the gain in takeout sales. Further, the platform delivery channel facilitates price competition and reduces the opportunity for independent restaurants to differentiate with premium services and dine-in experience, which may explain why independent restaurants do not benefit as much from on-demand delivery platforms. This paper was accepted by D. J. Wu, information systems. Funding: Z. Li is grateful to the National Science Foundation Division of Social and Economic Sciences for support provided through the CAREER award [Grant 2243736]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.01010 .

Infrastructure, regulation and the experiences of delivery cyclists in Australian cities

On-demand delivery has changed the way cities move. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, bicycles are the leading mode meeting growing consumer demand, particularly for food. In Australia, this has generated considerable attention, but the voice of riders is missing. Using grounded theory to reveal rider perspectives, we combined interviews (n = 52), a naturalistic study (104 hours) and roadside video observations (216 hours) to provide the first comprehensive picture of the experiences of delivery cyclists (including parcel couriers and food delivery cyclists working in both ‘gig’ and salaried roles) in Sydney and Melbourne. Concerns about safety for food delivery cyclists have prompted some to boycott the industry, yet our research shows that there is much to celebrate. Here we report what riders say are the greatest risks to their safety and how they would like these to be addressed. The changes that riders want most relate to the built environment, particularly connected, separated infrastructure and regulation for better sharing of street space. In some cases, riders are already finding ways to enact this change.

Photoactivated Hydrogel Therapeutic System with MXene-Based Nanoarchitectonics Potentiates Endogenous Bone Repair Through Reshaping the Osteo-Vascularization Network.

The repair and reconstruction of large-scale bone defects face enormous challenges because of the failure to reconstruct the osteo-vascularization network. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive hydrogel system is reported to achieve programmed tissue repair and regeneration through the synergetic effects of on-demand drug delivery and mild heat stimulation. The spatiotemporal hydrogel system (HG/MPa) composed of polydopamine-coated Ti3C2Tx MXene (MP) nanosheets decorated with acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF, a potent angiogenic drug) and hydroxypropyl chitosan/gelatin (HG) hydrogel is developed to orchestrate the reconstruction of the osteo-vascularization network and boost bone regeneration. Upon exposure to NIR light irradiation, the engineered HG/MPa hydrogel can achieve the initial complete release of aFGF to induce rapid angiogenesis and provide sufficient blood supply, maximizing its biofunction in the defect area. This integrated hydrogel system demonstrated good therapeutic efficacy in promoting cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and osteogenic differentiation through periodic NIR irradiation. In vivo, animal experiments further revealed that the spatiotemporalized hydrogel platform synergized with mild photothermal treatment significantly accelerated critical-sized bone defect healing by increasing the osteo-vascularization network density, recruiting endogenous stem cells, and facilitating the production of osteogenesis/angiogenesis-related factors. Overall, smart-responsive hydrogel couldenhance the reconstruction of the osteo-vascularization network in bone regeneration.

Novel thermal-regulation and temperature-responsive controlled-release fibermats with porous sheath-core structures

Active regulation of the wound microenvironment as well as on-demand drug delivery have proven to be effective ways to accelerate wound healing, and the development of advanced textiles offers feasibility. A novel fibermat with thermal-regulation and temperature-responsive controlled-release properties was fabricated by using coaxial electrospinning, consisting of porous sheath-core polylactic acid (PLA)/ polyethylene glycol (PEG) fibers. The pore generation in the PLA shell of the PLA/PEG fiber was achieved through a phase separation method. The fiber diameter and pore size of the obtained fiber could be controlled by adjusting the flow rate of shell solution during electrospinning. Increasing the flow rate of shell solution form 0.8 mm·min-1 to 1.4 mm·min-1 resulted in an increase in fiber diameter from 4.8 μm to 15.3 μm, and an increase in pore size from 59.4 nm to 305.6 nm. Due to the high enthalpy and coverage of the PEG core, the PLA/PEG fibermats exhibited excellent thermal-regulation performance, with a surface temperature that was 2.5 °C- 5.6 °C lower than that of pure PLA fibermat during heating process. On-demand release was achieved by directly controlling the core layer of the coaxial PLA/PEG fiber through temperature. The hydrophobicity of the PLA shell initially reduced burst release, followed by increased release as the temperature reached the phase transition temperature of PEG. Furthermore, this advanced fibermat demonstrated desirable moisture permeability, appropriate mechanical properties and good thermal stability, indicating broad potential applications in medical and health fields.

Core-Shell Microspheres with Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticle Carriers for Controlled Release of Anti-Cancer Drugs.

Cancer is one of the major threats to human health and lives. However, effective cancer treatments remain a great challenge in clinical medicine. As a common approach for cancer treatment, chemotherapy has saved the life of millions of people; however, patients who have gone through chemotherapy often suffer from severe side effects owing to the inherent cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs. Stabilizing the blood concentration of an anti-cancer drug will reduce the occurrence or severity of side effects, and relies on using an appropriate drug delivery system (DDS) for achieving sustained or even on-demand drug delivery. However, this is still an unmet clinical challenge since the mainstay of anti-cancer drugs is small molecules, which tend to be diffused rapidly in the body, and conventional DDSs exhibit the burst release phenomenon. Here, we establish a class of DDSs based on biodegradable core-shell microspheres with encapsulated doxorubicin hydrochloride-loaded gold nanoparticles (DOX@Au@MSs), with the core-shell microspheres being made of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) in the current study. By harnessing the physical barrier of the biodegradable shell of core-shell microspheres, DOX@Au@MSs can provide a sustained release of the anti-cancer drug in the test duration (which is 21 days in the current study). Thanks to the photothermal properties of the encapsulated gold nanoparticle carriers, the core-shell biodegradable microspheres can be ruptured through remotely controlled near-infrared (NIR) light, thereby achieving an NIR-controlled triggered release of the anti-cancer drug. Furthermore, the route of the DOX-Au@MS-enabled controlled release of the anti-cancer drug can provide durable cancer cell ablation for the long period of 72 h.

Optogenetic stimulation of dorsal striatum bidirectionally controls seizures.

Engagement of the striatum (caudate/putamen) and other basal ganglia nuclei during seizures was first observed over 75 years ago. Basal ganglia output nuclei, and the substantia nigra pars reticulata, in particular, have well-established anti-seizure effects across a large array of experimental models. However, striatal control of seizures is understudied. To address this gap, we used optogenetic approaches to activate and inactivate neurons in the dorsal striatum of Sprague-Dawley rats submitted to the gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) model of absence epilepsy, amygdala kindling model of temporal lobe epilepsy, and pilocarpine-induced Status Epilepticus (SE). All tests were performed on a within-subject basis. Animals were tested in two different light frequencies (5 Hz and 100 Hz). Open-loop (continuous light delivery) optogenetic activation of the dorsal striatal neurons robustly suppressed seizures in all models. On the other hand, optogenetic silencing of the dorsal striatal neurons increased absence seizure expression and facilitated SE onset but had no effect on kindled limbic seizures. In the GBL model, we also verified if the closed- loop strategy (light delivery in response to seizure detection) would be enough to induce antiseizure effects. On-demand light delivery in ChR2-expressing animals reduced SWD duration, while the same approach in ArchT-expressing animals increased SWD duration. These results demonstrated previously unrecognized anti-absence effects associated with striatal continuous and on-demand neuromodulation. Together, these findings document a robust, bidirectional role of the dorsal striatum in the control of seizure generation and propagation in a variety of seizure models, including focal seizure onset and generalized seizures.

Will e-consumers wait longer for a more sustainable on-demand food delivery? A choice experiment using green information

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of on-demand food delivery has sparked concerns about its societal and environmental impact. While alternative solutions like group ordering and electric bikes aim to address these issues, their adoption is hindered by inconveniences, mainly due to the longer delivery times, which are critical in food delivery. Price incentives such as discounts have traditionally been used as compensation, but questions about their long-term feasibility persist. This study assesses whether providing carbon footprint information can reduce the reliance on price incentives, especially when compensating for longer delivery times. Through a mixed-design experiment with 215 e-consumers in Greater Jakarta, we found that green information effectively encourages more sustainable delivery choices, similar to discounts. However, combining green information with discounts adds little value, suggesting that emphasizing green information alone could reduce financial costs and foster intrinsic motivation. Additionally, female and younger consumers are more responsive to green information, indicating the potential for targeted sustainability efforts in the on-demand food delivery sector.

Strategic Workforce Planning in Crowdsourced Delivery With Hybrid Driver Fleets

Nowadays, logistics service providers (LSPs) increasingly consider using a crowdsourced workforce on the last mile to fulfill customers’ expectations regarding same-day or on-demand delivery at reduced costs. The crowdsourced workforce’s availability is, however, uncertain. Therefore, LSPs often hire additional fixed employees to perform deliveries when the availability of crowdsourced drivers is low. In this context, the reliability versus flexibility trade-off which LSPs face over a longer period, for example, a year, remains unstudied. Against this background, we jointly study a workforce planning problem that considers salaried drivers (SDs) and the temporal development of the crowdsourced driver (CD) fleet over a long-term time horizon. We consider two types of CDs, dedicated gig-drivers (DDs) and opportunistic gig-drivers (ODs). While DDs are not sensitive to the request’s destination and typically exhibit high availability, ODs only serve requests whose origin and destination coincide with their own private route’s origin and destination. Moreover, to account for time horizon-specific dynamics, we consider stochastic turnover for both SDs and CDs as well as stochastic CD fleet growth. We formulate the resulting workforce planning problem as a Markov decision process whose reward function reflects total costs, that is, wages and operational costs arising from serving demand with SDs and CDs, and solve it via approximate dynamic programming. Applying our approach to an environment based on real-world demand data from GrubHub, we find that in fleets consisting of SDs and CDs, approximate dynamic programming (ADP)-based hiring policies can outperform myopic hiring policies by up to [Formula: see text] and lookahead policies with perfect knowledge of future information by up to [Formula: see text] in total costs. In the studied setting, we observed that DDs reduce the LSP’s total costs more than ODs. When we account for CDs’ increased resignation probability when not being matched with enough requests, the amount of required SDs increases.

Uncovering merchants’ willingness to wait in on-demand food delivery markets

While traditional on-demand food delivery services help restaurants reach more customers and enable doorstep deliveries, they also come with drawbacks, such as high commission fees and limited control over the delivery process. White-label food delivery services have emerged as an alternative, ready-to-use platform for restaurants to arrange delivery for customer orders received through their applications or websites, without the constraints imposed by traditional on-demand food delivery platforms or the need to develop an in-house delivery operation. Although several studies have investigated consumer behavior when using traditional on-demand food delivery services, there is limited research on merchants’ behavior when adopting white-label food delivery services. In this research, we develop a non-parametric survival model to estimate merchants’ willingness to wait when using white-label food delivery services and examine how various factors, such as delivery fees, the number of placed orders, and average waiting time, affect merchants’ willingness to wait, drawing on a dataset of both delivered and canceled orders from a crowd-sourcing delivery platform in Singapore. The empirical results show that merchants’ willingness to wait has a non-linear relationship with their average waiting time; it initially increases and then decreases with average waiting time. Moreover, the relationship between merchants’ willingness to wait during the pick-up stage and their average waiting times in the matching stage follows a similar non-linear trend. Merchants who have experienced lengthy waiting times on average in the matching stage tend to be less patient in the pick-up stage. This research sheds light on the stage-specific dynamics of merchants waiting behavior in white-label delivery service and provides insights for delivery platforms to optimize their operational strategies and enhance user experiences.

Fiber-optic drug delivery strategy for synergistic cancer photothermal-chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the conventional treatments for cancer in clinical practice. However, poor delivery efficiency, systemic toxicity, and the lack of pharmacokinetic monitoring during treatment are the critical limitations of current chemotherapy. Herein, we reported a brand-new antitumor drug delivery strategy that harnesses an optical fiber endoscopically therapeutic probe. The fiber probe carries photosensitizers in the fiber core and antitumor agents on the fiber surface mediated by a temperature-responsive hydrogel film, giving rise to an activable photothermal-chemotherapy that orchestrates the localized hyperthermia and thermal-stimuli drug release to the tumor lesion. Furthermore, the dynamical drug release and in-situ temperature can be real-time supervised through the built-in fiber sensors, including the reflective Mach–Zehnder interferometer and fiber Bragg grating, to visualize the therapy process and thus improve the safety of treatment. Compared with conventional methods, the fiber-optic drug delivery can adequately take advantage of the chemotherapeutics through collaboratively recruiting the photoheating-mediated enhanced permeability and the hydrogel particle-assisted high drug retention, shedding new light on a “central-to-peripheral” drug pervasion and retention mechanism to destroy tumors completely. The fiber-optic chemotherapy strategy incorporates precise drug delivery, accurate controllability of drug release, high drug permeability and retention in tumor, low off-target rate, and real-time drug release and temperature feedback, performing a straightforward and precise photothermal-chemotherapy pathway. More than that, the proposed strategy holds tremendous promise to provide a revolutionized on-demand drug delivery platform for the highly efficient evaluation and screening of antitumor pharmaceuticals.

Fungal Enzyme-Responsive Hydrogel Drug Delivery Platform for Triggered Antifungal Release.

Fungal infections can lead to debilitating consequences if they are not treated effectively. Antifungal drugs used to treat these infections can be toxic and overuse contributes to growing antifungal resistance. Candida spp., particularly C. albicans, are implicated in a majority of these infections. Virulent C. albicans produce secreted aspartic proteases (Saps) that aid in pathogen tissue invasion and proliferation at an infected site. Here, fungi-responsive hydrogels are developed that degrade in the presence of Saps to provide a triggered release of encapsulated liposomal antifungals. The hydrogel backbone incorporates a Sap-cleavable peptide sequence enabling Sap-responsive degradation. Hydrogels are found to effectively degrade in the presence of Saps extracted from C. albicans. Encapsulated liposomal antifungals show similar release kinetics as hydrogel degradation products in the presence of Saps, supporting a degradation-dependent release mechanism. Antifungal liposome-loaded responsive hydrogels exhibit successful eradication of C. albicans cultures and remain stable in sterile murine wound fluid. Finally, no significant cytotoxicity is observed for murine fibroblast cells and red blood cells exposed to hydrogel degradation products. These fungi-responsive hydrogels have the potential to be used for local, on-demand delivery of antifungal drugs, for effective treatment of fungal infections while helping to limit unnecessary exposure to thesetherapeutics.

A wearable iontophoresis enables dual-responsive transdermal delivery for atopic dermatitis treatment

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammation skin disease that remains a major public health challenge. The current drug-loading hydrogel dressings offer numerous benefits with enhanced loading capacity and a moist-rich environment. However, their development is still limited by the accessibility of a suitable driven source outside the clinical environment for precise control over transdermal delivery kinetics. Here, we prepare a sulfonated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polyelectrolyte hydrogel drug reservoir that responds to different stimuli-both endogenous cue (body temperature) and exogenous cue (electrical stimulation), for wearable on-demand transdermal delivery with enhanced efficacy. Functioned as both the drug reservoir and cathode in a Zn battery-powered iontophoresis patch, this dual-responsive hydrogel achieves high drug release efficiency (68.4 %) at 37 °C. Evaluation in hairless mouse skin demonstrates the efficacy of this technology by facilitating transdermal transport of 12.2 μg cm−2 dexamethasone phosphate when discharged with a 103 Ω external resistor for 3 h. The Zn battery-driven iontophoresis results in an effective treatment of atopic dermatitis, displaying reductions in epidermal thickness, mast cell infiltration inhibition, and a decrease in IgE levels. This work provides a new treatment modality for chronic epidermal diseases that require precise drug delivery in a non-invasive way.