Unperceivable Designs of Wearable Electronics

Abstract

Wearable smart electronics are taking an increasing part of the consumer electronics market, with applications in advanced healthcare systems, entertainment, and Internet of Things. The advanced development of flexible, stretchable, and breathable electronic materials has paved the way to comfortable and long-term wearables. However, these devices can affect the wearer's appearance and draw attention during use, which may impact the wearer's confidence and social interactions, making them difficult to wear on a daily basis. Apart from comfort, one key condition for user acceptance is that these new technologies seamlessly integrate into our daily lives, remaining unperceivable to others. In this review, strategies to minimize the visual impact of wearable devices and make them more suitable for daily use are discussed. These new devices focus on being unperceivable when worn and comfortable enough that users almost forget their presence, reducing psychological discomfort while maintaining accuracy in signal collection. Materials selection is crucial for developing long-term and unperceivable wearable devices. Recent developments in these unperceivable electronic devices are also covered, including sensors, transistors, and displays, and mechanisms to achieve unperceivability are discussed. Finally, the potential applications are summarized and the remaining challenges and prospects are discussed.