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Review
. 2021 Jan 7;12(1):64.
doi: 10.3390/mi12010064.

Next-Generation Wearable Biosensors Developed with Flexible Bio-Chips

Dahyun Nam  1 , Jae Min Cha  1 , Kiwon Park  1
Affiliations
Review

Next-Generation Wearable Biosensors Developed with Flexible Bio-Chips

Dahyun Nam et al. Micromachines (Basel). .

Abstract

The development of biosensors that measure various biosignals from our body is an indispensable research field for health monitoring. In recent years, as the demand to monitor the health conditions of individuals in real time have increased, wearable-type biosensors have received more attention as an alternative to laboratory equipment. These biosensors have been embedded into smart watches, clothes, and accessories to collect various biosignals in real time. Although wearable biosensors attached to the human body can conveniently collect biosignals, there are reliability issues due to noise generated in data collection. In order for wearable biosensors to be more widely used, the reliability of collected data should be improved. Research on flexible bio-chips in the field of material science and engineering might help develop new types of biosensors that resolve the issues of conventional wearable biosensors. Flexible bio-chips with higher precision can be used to collect various human data in academic research and in our daily lives. In this review, we present various types of conventional biosensors that have been used and discuss associated issues such as noise and inaccuracy. We then introduce recent studies on flexible bio-chips as a solution to these issues.

Keywords: biosensor; electrophysiology sensor; flexible electrode; motion artifact noise; wearable biosensor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Electromyography (EMG) raw data during bicep brachii contraction and relaxation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Image of surface EMG: the red and black lines represent the + and − electrodes, and the blue line represents the ground; (b) image of the needle EMG.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Surface EMG data obtained during voluntary contraction of a bicep with a 1-kg weight for a female: (a) raw data, (b) median frequency and linear regression, and (c) root mean square and linear regression.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Monopolar needle electrode; (b) concentric needle electrode.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Needle EMG of the tongue: motor unit action potential (MUAP) from the right genioglossus muscle of a healthy subject. Markers for the MUAP duration were set on the most uncontaminated of the five averaged MUAPs. Reproduced from [50] with permission from BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Standard limb leads, (b) augmented limb leads, (c) precordial leads (V1: fourth intercostal space (ICS), right margin of the sternum; v2: fourth ICS along the left margin of the sternum; v4: fifth ICS, mid-clavicular line; v3: midway between v2 and v4; v5: fifth ICS, anterior axillary line (same level as v4); and v6: fifth ICS, mid-axillary line (same level as v4)).
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) The shape of a fingertip photoplethysmography (PPG); (b) transmitted absorption.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Head-mounted EEG device.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Preparations to reduce skin impedance: (a) shaving the attachment position; (b) disinfecting with an alcohol-soaked cotton.
Figure 10
Figure 10
A transparent wireless sensor attached to human skin. Scale bar: 1 cm (inset: closeup image of the device. Scale bar: 0.5 cm) Figure reproduced with permission from Kim et al. [89]. Copyright Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Transparent wireless heat patch. Reprinted with permission from Lee et al. [96]. Copyright © 2020. American Chemical Society.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Transparent wireless heat patch with a microcontroller (MCU): (a) wireless controller and stretchable heater, and (b) a stretchable heater worn on the arm. Figure reproduced with permission from Jang et al. [100].
Figure 13
Figure 13
Epidermal electronic tattoo. Copyright © 2014. Jacobs School of Engineering/UC San Diego.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Wearable sensors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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