Search for: All records

Neuromuscular diseases pose significant health and economic challenges, necessitating innovative monitoring technologies for personalizable treatment. Existing devices detect muscular motions either indirectly from mechanoacoustic signatures on skin surface or via ultrasound waves that demand specialized skin adhesion. Here, we report a wireless wearable system, Laryngeal Health Monitor (LaHMo), designed to be conformally placed on the neck for continuously measuring movements of underlying muscles. The system uses near-infrared (NIR) light that features deep-tissue penetration and strong interaction with myoglobin to capture muscular locomotion. The incorporated inertial measurement unit sensor further decouples the superposition of signals from NIR recordings. Integrating a multimodal AI-boosted algorithm based on recurrent neural network, the system accurately classifies activities of physiological events. An adaptive model enables fast individualization without enormous data sources from the target user, facilitating its broad applicability. Long-term tests and simulations suggest the potential efficacy of the LaHMo platform for real-world applications, such as monitoring disease progression in neuromuscular disorders, evaluating treatment efficacy, and providing biofeedback for rehabilitation exercises. The LaHMo platform may serve as a general noninvasive, user-friendly solution for assessing neuromuscular function beyond the anterior neck, potentially improving diagnostics and treatment of various neuromuscular disorders. 

Abstract Transdermal drug delivery is of vital importance for medical treatments. However, user adherence to long-term repetitive drug delivery poses a grand challenge. Furthermore, the dynamic and unpredictable disease progression demands a pharmaceutical treatment that can be actively controlled in real-time to ensure medical precision and personalization. Here, we report a spatiotemporal on-demand patch (SOP) that integrates drug-loaded microneedles with biocompatible metallic membranes to enable electrically triggered active control of drug release. Precise control of drug release to targeted locations (<1 mm²), rapid drug release response to electrical triggers (<30 s), and multi-modal operation involving both drug release and electrical stimulation highlight the novelty. Solution-based fabrication ensures high customizability and scalability to tailor the SOP for various pharmaceutical needs. The wireless-powered and digital-controlled SOP demonstrates great promise in achieving full automation of drug delivery, improving user adherence while ensuring medical precision. Based on these characteristics, we utilized SOPs in sleep studies. We revealed that programmed release of exogenous melatonin from SOPs improve sleep of mice, indicating potential values for basic research and clinical treatments. 

Abstract Drawing inspiration from cohesive integration of skeletal muscles and sensory skins in vertebrate animals, we present a design strategy of soft robots, primarily consisting of an electronic skin (e-skin) and an artificial muscle. These robots integrate multifunctional sensing and on-demand actuation into a biocompatible platform using an in-situ solution-based method. They feature biomimetic designs that enable adaptive motions and stress-free contact with tissues, supported by a battery-free wireless module for untethered operation. Demonstrations range from a robotic cuff for detecting blood pressure, to a robotic gripper for tracking bladder volume, an ingestible robot for pH sensing and on-site drug delivery, and a robotic patch for quantifying cardiac function and delivering electrotherapy, highlighting the application versatilities and potentials of the bio-inspired soft robots. Our designs establish a universal strategy with a broad range of sensing and responsive materials, to form integrated soft robots for medical technology and beyond. 

Abstract Precision healthcare relies upon ubiquitous biofeedback to optimize therapy individually for nuanced and dynamic needs. However, grand challenges reside in the lack of soft, highly personalizable monitors that are scalable in manufacturing and reversibly interchangeable upon the evolution of needs. Herein, a customizable soft wearable platform is presented that can seamlessly integrate diverse functional modules, including physical and biochemical sensors, stimulators, and energy storage devices, tailored to various health monitoring scenarios, while can self‐repair after certain mechanical damage. The platform supports versatile physiological sensing and therapeutic intervention due to its compatibility with wide‐ranging functional nanomaterials. A bilayer microporous foam embedded in the gel improves sweat management for comfortable and reliable on‐body biomarker monitoring. Furthermore, flexible self‐healing zinc‐air batteries using ion gel electrolytes provide opportunities for self‐powered, closed‐loop systems. On‐body demonstrations validate the platform's capability to monitor physiological and metabolic states under real‐world conditions. This work provides a scalable and adaptable materials‐based solution for real‐time personalized health monitoring, advancing wearable bioelectronics to meet evolving healthcare demands.