Recent
advances in the engineering or strategy of materials and
device design have established ultrathin, soft, lightweight, and skin-conformable
characteristics in wearable/implantable electronic systems, allowing
precise, long-term monitoring of biological signals from skin/internal
organs while reducing signal artifacts upon daily body motions or
other external effects. Such a soft, flexible platform offers an opportunity
capable of recording and analyzing diverse physical, chemical, and
electrophysiological parameters for clinically useful information
in the effective prevention, treatment, and management of illness
as well as the preservation of physical and mental well-being. Combination
with other peculiar functions such as bioresorbable and self-healing
properties can enhance the biosafety/reliability of devices and realize
unprecedented applications in the fields of biology and medicine or
other areas of interest. This Review summarizes the underlying mechanisms
of materials science in terms of a mechanical balance between devices
and biological structures, discusses the latest biomedical applications
with a focus on technological advances and significance, and concludes
with an overview of current challenging points and perspectives for
future research directions in wearable/implantable electronics.