{"title":"Advancements in Stretchable Healthcare Devices: Material Innovations and Applications for Real-Time Health Monitoring","authors":"Jihee Kim, Hyojin Kim, Hyunsik Yoon","doi":"10.1007/s11814-025-00436-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The traditional medical system requires patients to visit hospitals for examinations and diagnoses, which can be inconvenient. Consequently, the demand for more accessible and convenient health monitoring solutions has been increasing. Stretchable healthcare devices, which can bend and stretch to fit the body’s complex curves, have gained attention for their ability to provide real-time data while being comfortable to wear. These devices adhere closely to the skin, allowing continuous monitoring of vital signs in daily life. Recent technological advancements have established stretchable healthcare devices as essential alternatives in various medical applications. This review categorizes healthcare devices into five main types: biochemical, cardiovascular, neural and brain activity, temperature, and optical and imaging sensors. Each sensor type is described with a focus on its role in the healthcare field, recent technological trends, and performance improvements achieved through innovative materials. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of sensors for real-time monitoring, with examples showcasing cases where material innovations have enhanced accuracy and sensitivity. This review highlights the potential of integrated wearable healthcare systems to drive advancements in personalized healthcare and disease prevention.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":684,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"42 9","pages":"1915 - 1930"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11814-025-00436-x","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The traditional medical system requires patients to visit hospitals for examinations and diagnoses, which can be inconvenient. Consequently, the demand for more accessible and convenient health monitoring solutions has been increasing. Stretchable healthcare devices, which can bend and stretch to fit the body’s complex curves, have gained attention for their ability to provide real-time data while being comfortable to wear. These devices adhere closely to the skin, allowing continuous monitoring of vital signs in daily life. Recent technological advancements have established stretchable healthcare devices as essential alternatives in various medical applications. This review categorizes healthcare devices into five main types: biochemical, cardiovascular, neural and brain activity, temperature, and optical and imaging sensors. Each sensor type is described with a focus on its role in the healthcare field, recent technological trends, and performance improvements achieved through innovative materials. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of sensors for real-time monitoring, with examples showcasing cases where material innovations have enhanced accuracy and sensitivity. This review highlights the potential of integrated wearable healthcare systems to drive advancements in personalized healthcare and disease prevention.
期刊介绍:
The Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering provides a global forum for the dissemination of research in chemical engineering. The Journal publishes significant research results obtained in the Asia-Pacific region, and simultaneously introduces recent technical progress made in other areas of the world to this region. Submitted research papers must be of potential industrial significance and specifically concerned with chemical engineering. The editors will give preference to papers having a clearly stated practical scope and applicability in the areas of chemical engineering, and to those where new theoretical concepts are supported by new experimental details. The Journal also regularly publishes featured reviews on emerging and industrially important subjects of chemical engineering as well as selected papers presented at international conferences on the subjects.