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Review
. 2022 Apr 7;2(4):394-435.
doi: 10.1021/acsmaterialsau.2c00001. eCollection 2022 Jul 13.

Progress of Advanced Devices and Internet of Things Systems as Enabling Technologies for Smart Homes and Health Care

Qiongfeng Shi  1   2   3 , Yanqin Yang  1   2   3 , Zhongda Sun  1   2   3 , Chengkuo Lee  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Progress of Advanced Devices and Internet of Things Systems as Enabling Technologies for Smart Homes and Health Care

Qiongfeng Shi et al. ACS Mater Au. .

Abstract

In the Internet of Things (IoT) era, various devices (e.g., sensors, actuators, energy harvesters, etc.) and systems have been developed toward the realization of smart homes/buildings and personal health care. These advanced devices can be categorized into ambient devices and wearable devices based on their usage scenarios, to enable motion tracking, health monitoring, daily care, home automation, fall detection, intelligent interaction, assistance, living convenience, and security in smart homes. With the rapidly increasing number of such advanced devices and IoT systems, achieving fully self-sustained and multimodal intelligent systems is becoming more and more important to realize a sustainable and all-in-one smart home platform. Hence, in this Review, we systematically present the recent progress of the development of advanced materials, fabrication techniques, devices, and systems for enabling smart home and health care applications. First, advanced polymer, fiber, and fabric materials as well as their respective fabrication techniques for large-scale manufacturing are discussed. After that, functional devices classified into ambient devices (at home ambiance such as door, floor, table, chair, bed, toilet, window, wall, etc.) and wearable devices (on body parts such as finger, wrist, arm, throat, face, back, etc.) are presented for diverse monitoring and auxiliary applications. Next, the current developments of self-sustained systems and intelligent systems are reviewed in detail, indicating two promising research directions in this field. Last, conclusions and outlook pinpointed on the existing challenges and opportunities are provided for the research community to consider.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the development of materials, fabrication, devices and systems, applications, and the enabling technologies for smart homes and health care. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (14). Copyright 2016 The Authors. Reproduced from ref (15). Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society. Reproduced with permission from ref (16). Copyright 2018 Elsevier. Reproduced with permission from ref (17). Copyright 2020 Elsevier. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (18). Copyright 2019 The Authors. Reproduced with permission from ref (19). Copyright 2019 Elsevier. Reproduced from ref (20). Copyright 2019 American Chemical Society. Reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons CC-BY license from ref (21). Copyright 2021 The Authors. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (22). Copyright 2020 The Authors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Advanced materials for e-skin wearable electronics. (a) Stretchable, self-healing, and skin-mounted active sensor for multipoint function assessment. (b) Schematic illustration of the sensor, including the components, assembly, and stretchability. (c) Schematic illustration of the interphase microcolumn for the triboelectric layer. Reproduced from ref (15). Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Advanced materials for e-skin wearable electronics. (a) Self-healing TENG based on MXene/PVA hydrogel. (b) Output performance of the TENG under different strain levels. (c) Application of the device for leg and finger bending monitoring. (d) Application of the device for written stroke recognition. Reproduced with permission from ref (110). Copyright 2021 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Advanced materials for e-skin wearable electronics. (a) Schematic illustration of the fabricated TENG device. (b) Illustration of the stretchability of the TENG device (1800% strain). Demonstration of the self-healing TENG that can repair a (c) fracture and (d) abrasion simultaneously. Reproduced with permission from ref (118). Copyright 2021 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Advanced materials for textile-based wearable electronics. (a) Fabrication process and structural illustration of the flexible and stretchable fiber-based TENG. (b) Application of the fiber TENG for gesture recognition. (c) Knitting structure of the fabric as a tactile sensor with 8 × 8 pixels. Reproduced with permission from ref (119). Copyright 2020 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Advanced materials for textile-based wearable electronics. (a) Fabrication of liquid-metal fiber based TENG for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. (b) Illustration of the ultrastretchability of the fiber. (c) Application of the fiber as a self-powered human-interactive fiber and gesture glove. (d) Application of the fiber as a wearable keypad and music controller. Reproduced with permission from ref (120). Copyright 2021 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Advanced materials for textile-based wearable electronics. (a) Fabrication process and structural illustration of the textile-based TENG. (b) Output performance enhancement of the TENG with black phosphorus and hydrophobic coating. (c) Output performance under different deformations and severe washing. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (121). Copyright 2018 The Authors.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Scalable fabrication techniques to enable large-area applications. (a) Fabrication process of the large-scale TENG with the silk-fibroin patch film via a spray-coating process. (b) Photograph of the prepared large-scale and flexible film. Reproduced with permission from ref (147). Copyright 2017 Elsevier.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Scalable fabrication techniques to enable large-area applications. (a) Schematic illustration of the fabrication machine for the large-scale TENG using roll-to-roll UV embossing. (b) Photograph of the prepared flexible TENG. (c) Application of the film as a self-powered pressure sensor array. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (154). Copyright 2016 The Authors.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Scalable fabrication techniques to enable large-area applications. (a) Scalable floor mat array enabled by screen printing technology for position sensing, activity monitoring, and individual recognition. (b) Detailed illustration of the six electrode patterns. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (22). Copyright 2020 The Authors.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Scalable fabrication techniques for textile-based electronics to enable large-area applications. (a) Fabrication process of robust fiber using pumping method. (b) Knitting process of the textile-based TENG. Reproduced with permission from ref (140). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Scalable fabrication techniques for textile-based electronics to enable large-area applications. (a) Large-scale, ultrasoft, and washable TENG textile for sleep monitoring. (b) Detailed illustration of the single fiber. Reproduced with permission from ref (17). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Scalable fabrication techniques for textile-based electronics to enable large-area applications. (a) Electrospinning enabled large-scale, all-fiber based tribo-ferroelectric e-textile. (b) Structural illustration of the tribo-ferroelectric e-textile. (c) Illustration of the e-textile with high thermal-moisture stability and comfortability. (d) Self-powered gesture monitoring system that captures gait during human movement and transmits it to a smartphone or computer in real time. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (18). Copyright 2019 The Authors.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Scalable fabrication techniques for textile-based electronics to enable large-area applications. (a) Fabrication machine and process of the energy yarn. (b) Fabrication of the large-scale and highly resilient 3D braided e-textile for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (155). Copyright 2020 The Authors.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Ambient triboelectric based barcode recognition system deployed besides the door for personal identification and access regulation. (a) System schematic and device structure. (b) Operation principle. (c) Example of the generated signals and coded information. (d) Access control demonstration. Reproduced with permission from ref (159). Copyright 2018 Elsevier.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Cellulosic material-based TENG embedded on the floor for indoor monitoring and energy harvesting. (a) Application scenario overview. (b) Detailed device structure. (c) Operation principle. Reproduced from ref (164). Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Triboelectric vibration sensors integrated on a table for detecting and positioning an interactive vibration source. (a) Digital photograph of the interaction. (b) Detailed device structure. (c) Flow diagrams of the signal generation, process, and control communication. Reproduced with permission from ref (165). Copyright 2019 Elsevier.
Figure 18
Figure 18
Hybrid sensor integrated on a keyboard for keystroke dynamics-based and biometric-protected authentication. (a) Device structure and application scenario. (b) Digital photograph of the integrated keyboard. (c) Signal output when pressing a key. Reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons CC-BY license from ref (166). Copyright 2021 The Authors.
Figure 19
Figure 19
Large-scale, washable, and textile-based triboelectric pressure sensor array on the bed for sleep behavior monitoring. (a) Device schematic, SEM image of the conductive textile, and digital photograph. (b) Pressure sensing response. (c) Example of user posture display and alarm. Reproduced with permission from ref (167). Copyright 2018 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 20
Figure 20
Triboelectric sensor enabled electronic auditory system toward remote and intelligent sensing applications. (a) Device structure. (b) Three resonant modes. (c) Desk lamp controlled by hand movement. (d) Sound-based antitheft system. Reproduced with permission from ref (171). Copyright 2018 The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Figure 21
Figure 21
Smart-home multifunctional platform for simultaneous monitoring of CO2 concentration, temperature, and relative humidity. (a) Platform schematic and device structure. (b) Humidity sensing response by the pMUT array. (c) CO2 sensing by the PEI-TENG. Reproduced with permission from ref (19). Copyright 2019 Elsevier.
Figure 22
Figure 22
Soft robotic hand with multimodal sensors for virtual shopping and home assistance. (a) Multiple sensors on the robotic hand. (b) Generated signals during a grasp motion. (c) Potential application for smart healthcare. Reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons CC-BY license from ref (21). Copyright 2021 The Authors.
Figure 23
Figure 23
Low-cost textile TENG sensor for continuous pulse waveform monitoring. (a) Illustration of the cardiovascular monitoring system. (b) Structure of the TENG sensor. (c) Working mechanism of the TENG sensor. (d) Neural network for blood pressure prediction. Reproduced with permission from ref (192). Copyright 2021 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 24
Figure 24
Nanofiber-based TENG e-skin for fine respiration monitoring. (a) Structural design of the e-skin. (b) Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome diagnosis system. (c) Output signals for different sleep respiratory states. Reproduced with permission from ref (197). Copyright 2021 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 25
Figure 25
Self-powered M-shaped TENG tremor sensor for Parkinson’s disease prevention. (a) Typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and structure of the tremor sensor. (b) Illustration of the sensor under stretching and bending. (c) Power spectral density of voltage signal from tremor sensor for various motions. Reproduced with permission from ref (202). Copyright 2021 Elsevier.
Figure 26
Figure 26
Grating-sliding structural TENG sensor enabled smart exoskeleton for upper-limb motion monitoring. (a) Illustration of the exoskeleton for different applications. (b) Working mechanism of the TENG sensor. (c) Demonstration of punching force estimation in VR rehabilitation application. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (205). Copyright 2021 The Authors.
Figure 27
Figure 27
Badge-reel-like stretch TENG sensor to detect the spinal bending motion. (a) Enlarged view of the sensor. (b) Real-time output signals of the sensor when patients perform neck/thoracic exercises. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (206). Copyright 2021 The Authors.
Figure 28
Figure 28
Self-sustainable wearable sweat sensor composed of a flexible PENG unit for energy harvesting and ion-selective electrodes for physiological parameters detection. (a) Schematic diagram of the developed sweat monitoring system. Self-powered monitoring of Na+, K+, and pH while (c) biking and (c) clenching. Reproduced with permission from ref (64). Copyright 2022 Elsevier.
Figure 29
Figure 29
Self-sustained interactive system for smart-home appliance and access control. (a) Usage scenario as access password. (b) Device structure. (c) Capacitor charging by the solar cell. (d) Output signal when sliding along different directions. Reproduced with permission from ref (218). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 30
Figure 30
Self-powered and smart walking stick for position tracking and healthcare monitoring. (a) Device implementation on a stick. (b) Detailed device structure. (c) Diagram of the power management circuit. (d) Capacitor voltage during charging and discharging. Reproduced from ref (219). Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.
Figure 31
Figure 31
Self-powered wireless sensor network by using direct sensory signal transmission. (a) Overall system schematic. (b) Sensor array implementation. (c) Digital photograph and 3D drone control direction. Reproduced with permission from ref (222). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 32
Figure 32
Totally passive wireless triboelectric sensor integrated with a SAWR. (a) System overview. (b) Equivalent circuit. (c) Frequency response with different generated voltage from the triboelectric sensor. Reproduced with permission from ref (223). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 33
Figure 33
Wireless self-powered system for lower-limb motion monitoring. (a) Schematic of the S-PEG and R-TENG. (b) Circuit diagram of power supply and sensing. Reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons CC-BY license from ref (227). Copyright 2021 The Authors.
Figure 34
Figure 34
Wearable, closed-loop, and self-powered iontophoretic system by using the energy scavenged from human motions. (a) System overview. (b) Comparison of drug delivery results. Reproduced with permission from ref (228). Copyright 2020 John Wiley and Sons.
Figure 35
Figure 35
High-performance TENG as the power source for a fully implanted symbiotic pacemaker. (a) Device structure. (b) Diagram of the overall system. (c) Stimulation pulse of different frequencies. Reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons CC-BY license from ref (229). Copyright 2019 The Authors.
Figure 36
Figure 36
TENG sensor enabled smart keyboard for biometric authentication applications in smart homes. (a) Diagram of the keystroke dynamics enabled authentication system. (b) Illustration of the structure of the TENG key. (c) Training and identification of the system based on the SVM algorithm. Reproduced with permission from ref (16). Copyright 2018 Elsevier.
Figure 37
Figure 37
Self-powered thin-film flexible microphone based on ferroelectric nanogenerator (FENG) for authentication purpose in the smart home. (a) FENG-based identity recognition system. (b) Acoustic wave recording using the FENG-based microphone. (c) neural network model for real-time identification. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (238). Copyright 2017 The Authors.
Figure 38
Figure 38
Intelligent TENG socks enabled by deep learning technology for indoor gait data collection and analysis. (a) Schematics and applications of the smart TENG socks. (b) Two-stage recognition system for smart home applications. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (97). Copyright 2020 The Authors.
Figure 39
Figure 39
Triboelectric sensor embedded smart floor enabled multifunctional monitoring system in smart homes. (a) Diagram of the smart floor for position detection and identity recognition. (b) Demonstration of the floor for tracking and identifying two users simultaneously. Reproduced from ref (241). Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.
Figure 40
Figure 40
DL-enhanced triboelectric/photonic synergistic interface for the secure data access in the cloud server. (a) Architecture of the biometrics-protected optical communication. (b) Operation principle of the system. (c) Upload and request waveforms and the developed interface. Reprinted with permission under a Creative Commons CC BY License from ref (242). Copyright 2022 The Authors.
Figure 41
Figure 41
Advanced wireless sleep monitoring bedding enabled by a self-powered triboelectric body-motion sensor. (a) Illustration of the pillow filled with TENG sensors for sleep monitoring. (b) System diagram of the cloud sleep analysis system. Reproduced with permission from ref (245). Copyright 2020 Elsevier.
Figure 42
Figure 42
AI-Toilet by fusing the triboelectric and image sensing technology. (a) Schematic of the AIoT enabled toilet for health monitoring. (b) Detailed structure of the TENG sensor. Reproduced with permission from ref (248). Copyright 2021 Elsevier.
Figure 43
Figure 43
Flexible quadruple tactile sensor for robot perception applications in smart homes. (a) Skin-inspired multilayer structure of a quadruple tactile sensor. (b) Signal maps for grasping different objects. (c) Garbage sorting system based on the tactile sensor. Reproduced with permission from ref (251). Copyright 2020 The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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