Imagine drawing on your body to measure your glucose level in place of pricking your finger. These enzymatic inks would function as biosensors to take glucose readings through the skin, reporting the results to a Bluetooth device. The creation of epidermal sensing devices able to conform to the contours of the human anatomy such as this bioink is a groundbreaking advancement in electrochemical and nanoengineering towards non-invasive chemical monitoring. Leaders responsible for pioneering this technology, researchers at the Center for Wearable Sensors at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), are developing biosensors that yield significant insights into the overall health status of the wearer in connection to diverse healthcare, fitness, and military applications. Current projects include creating wearable biofuel cells for powering on-body sensors, and advanced sensors for 'on-the-spot' forensic applications that can benefit field identification of explosives or gunshot residues.

Directed by Professor Joseph Wang, the Center for Wearable Sensors is addressing big questions and grand challenges that are facing the wearable sensors sectors and accelerating the pace of innovation by tackling the toughest technical bottlenecks. Their work to create a series of the world’s most advanced “lab on the body” systems is therefore built around close collaborations between world-renowned faculty, students, and industry partners with complementary expertise in various aspects of wearable sensor systems. This collaboration spans research fields including low-power circuits, materials, electrochemistry, bioengineering, wireless network technologies, preventive medicine, the life sciences, and more. Creative and relevant, the Center is focused on revolutionizing key components of wearable sensor systems, including:

• Taking multiple measurements from diverse sensors on the body: This involves simultaneous, real-time measurement of multiple parameters including chemical, physical, and electrophysiological modalities that can be used for diabetic and glucose management applications.
• Ultra low-power and self-powered sensor systems: Researchers are developing self-powered sensor systems to be embedded into media such as clothing. Such autonomous systems could monitor heart rate, hydration levels, blood sugar and more, without any direct user interaction required.
• Novel biocompatible and stretchable materials: These materials include stretchable semiconducting polymers with properties mimicking biological tissues and long-term implanted and minimally-invasive sensors.
• Novel methods for device fabrication and integration: Flexible, printable micro-sensors for on-body sensing as well as high-density conformal sensor arrays provide new ways to apply biosensors.
• Clinical Uses and Clinical Trials: Medical researchers and clinicians from UCSD’s world-class Health System work with engineers to address clinical medicine and public health issues that are crucial for realizing the promise of wearable sensing.
• Novel micro and nano Wi-Fi networks for data transmission: Pushing the power limits of wireless transceivers enables ultra-long battery life and/or net-zero-power systems for energy autonomy.
• Cloud data storage and analytics