Printing Flexible and Hybrid Electronics for Human Skin and Eye-Interfaced Health Monitoring Systems.

Advances in printing materials and techniques for flexible and hybrid electronics in the domain of connected healthcare have enabled rapid development of innovative body-interfaced health monitoring systems at a tremendous pace. Thin, flexible, and stretchable biosensors that are printed on a biocompatible soft substrate provide the ability to noninvasively and unobtrusively integrate with the human body for continuous monitoring and early detection of diseases and other conditions affecting health and well being. Hybrid integration of such biosensors with extremely well-established silicon-based microcircuit chips offers a viable route for in-sensor data processing and wireless transmission in many medical and clinical settings. Here, a set of advanced and hybrid printing techniques is summarized, covering diverse aspects ranging from active electronic materials to process capability, for their use in human skin and eye-interfaced health monitoring systems with different levels of complexity. Essential components of the devices, including constituent biomaterials, structural layouts, assembly methods, and power and data processing configurations, are outlined and discussed in a categorized manner tailored to specific clinical needs. Perspectives on the benefits and challenges of these systems in basic and applied biomedical research are presented and discussed.

Flexible submental sensor patch with remote monitoring controls for management of oropharyngeal swallowing disorders.

Successful rehabilitation of oropharyngeal swallowing disorders (i.e., dysphagia) requires frequent performance of head/neck exercises that primarily rely on expensive biofeedback devices, often only available in large medical centers. This directly affects treatment compliance and outcomes, and highlights the need to develop a portable and inexpensive remote monitoring system for the telerehabilitation of dysphagia. Here, we present the development and preliminarily validation of a skin-mountable sensor patch that can fit on the curvature of the submental (under the chin) area noninvasively and provide simultaneous remote monitoring of muscle activity and laryngeal movement during swallowing tasks and maneuvers. This sensor patch incorporates an optimal design that allows for the accurate recording of submental muscle activity during swallowing and is characterized by ease of use, accessibility, reusability, and cost-effectiveness. Preliminary studies on a patient with Parkinson's disease and dysphagia, and on a healthy control participant demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this system.