Recent advances in materials and applications for bioelectronic and biorobotic systems

Abstract

The ultimate goal of the advancements in bioelectronics and robotics is the creation of seamless interfaces between artificial devices and biological structures. Current efforts in this area have been focused on designing biocompatible, mechanically compliant, and minimally invasive electronic and robotic systems for a range of applications, such as motor control and sweat sensing. The purposeful design of bioelectronic and robotic systems using the principles of biomimicry enables the creation of biocompatible and life-like machines and electronics. The success of such approaches relies on the new development and applications of soft materials, as well as methods of actuation and sensing that are inspired, either by composition, function, or properties, of the naturally occurring organisms. A combination of rigid structural components, soft actuators, and flexible sensors can enable the integration of such devices with biological organisms and eventually human users. In this review, we highlight the recent advances in biomimetic soft robotics and bioelectronics. We describe the soft robotic fabrication toolbox and modern solution in bioelectronics that, in our opinion, will enable the fusion of these fields by creating robotic bioelectronic systems. Future development in this area will require substantial integration of adaptable and responsive components at the biointerfaces.

Ratiometric electrochemical OR gate assay for NSCLC-derived exosomes

“…As can be seen, the proposed biosensor exhibited a lower limit-of-detection within a wider linear range, compared with other techniques (e.g., fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance, and electrochemiluminescence) [58][59][60]. We attributed the superior sensitivity of the proposed biosensor to the ratiometric strategy and aptamer-facilitated HCR for signal amplification [61,62]. In addition to the sensitivity performance, the proposed biosensor also displayed an improved specificity by introducing a DNA OR logic gate for the simultaneous detection of two surface protein targets, which provides more comprehensive information for cancer diagnosis [63][64][65].…”

3D morphable systems via deterministic microfolding for vibrational sensing, robotic implants, and reconfigurable telecommunication

“…S13B). Then, bonding the precursor with a proof mass (PDMS/ Cu composite; length by width by height, 1 mm by 1 mm by 1 mm; density, 4.5 g/cm 3 ) and transferring it onto a predesigned folding host prepared the system for 3D transformation. A mechanical stage allowed controlled folding of the host base to a welldefined angle and completed the 3D assembly process.…”

“…The lower surface of the proof mass was tied to the upper surface of the composite layer. The elastic modulus (E), Poisson's ratio (υ), and density (ρ) in the simulations were E Si = 179 GPa, υ Si = 0.28, and ρ Si = 2.33 g/cm 3 for Si; E PLGA = 4.5 GPa, υ PLGA = 0.34, and ρ PLGA = 1.38 g/cm 3 for PLGA; and E = 1.2 GPa, υ = 0.48, and ρ = 4.5 g/cm 3 for the proof mass.…”

“…Structural engineering that overcomes intrinsic limits of bulk materials pivots a cascading collection of previously unidentified opportunities in biomedical devices ( 1 , 2 ), robotic systems ( 3 , 4 ), microelectronics ( 5 , 6 ), microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs) ( 7 , 8 ), and metamaterials ( 9 , 10 ). In particular, morphing mesostructures in three dimensions (3D) not only offers multidimensional control to precisely tune material functions on demand ( 6 , 11 , 12 ) but also breaks the repulsive barriers for heterogeneous materials to coherently integrate ( 13 , 14 ), for a leveraged combination of properties beyond those of the individual components ( 14 , 15 ).…”

Flexible wearable devices for intelligent health monitoring

“…Fortunately, thanks to the rapid development of flexible electronics and nanomaterials, wearable skin-like devices with ultrahigh flexibility and compliant features of skin were reported and regarded as an essential candidate for healthcare. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] At present, various ingenious healthcare devices have been explored for detecting body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and glucose based on thermoelectric effect, piezoelectric/piezoresistive mechanism, capacitive effect, or electrocatalytic/electrochemical principles. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Significantly, these monitoring devices can be integrated into wearable clothes or watches for continuous healthcare, which makes home-based telehealth monitoring available.…”