Wearable technology has come leaps and bounds over the years, from smart patches to smart jewelry, it seems we’ve entered a new era for wearables. But some researchers don’t think we’ve gone far enough; two teams of researchers across the world from each other are working on reimagining what biomedical wearables could be.

Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) recently announced that they’ve created wearables that allow for sweat and gas permeability, changing the game for biomedical wearables. From the interview with Science Daily, Professor Yu Xinge of CityUHK said, “Incorporating a 3D spatial liquid manipulation technique, we have fully achieved fully integrated permeable electronics that match the circuitry and functionality to state-of-the-art wearable devise, enabling superb breathability.”

But why does that matter? Having access to continuous patient data can make the world of difference in the quality of care a patient receives, however, sweat and air permeability can sometimes interfere with the efficacy of biomedical devices. But, having intelligent devices that allows for sweat and gas permeability could revolutionize biomedical device designs and prolong their lifecycles, too.

Similarly, researchers at the University of Uppsala in Sweden are collaborating on the EU project, PERSIMMON, a personalized sustainable smart patch omnificience. Essentially, it’s a sustainable smart patch that was recently awarded SEK 90 million to continue development; of that, the University of Uppsala received SEK 22 million.

In an interview for the University of Uppsala, Professor Klas Hjort of Materials Science and Head of the Microsystems Technology program at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering for the University was asked what makes their smart patch sustainable, he said:

“We use polymers made from biomaterials, which can be composted or broken down in a harmless hot water solution, so that no microplastics are formed and we can recover the electronic components and the metal. What breaks down is the capsule around the electronic circuits. Then we will recycle the metal in the patch’s printed circuit. That will also make it easy to clean the electronic components, which can then be recycled or even reused.”

This is especially great news for people who are chronically ill and need to continuously use smart patches, or for the health enthusiasts who want to frequently monitor their health data. 

The future of wearables is bright and sustainable. It will be interesting to see who comes up with the next big breakthrough in biomedical wearable tech.