Smart bandages for chronic wound monitoring and on-demand drug delivery

We review two generations of smart bandages and sensors developed in our group. These devices are capable of monitoring and treating chronic wounds through O2, pH and strain measurement and on-demand drug delivery. First we seek to close the gap between patient and caregivers through continuous monitoring of wound healing status with oxygenation measurements coupled with wireless data acquisition and transmission. Next we demonstrate on-demand drug delivery with this same platform using thermoresponsive particles. Currently, we focus efforts on 2D mapping of wound pH. Here, pH sensors are fabricated on thread using simple, clean-room free processes and are embedded into bandages. We demonstrate these sensors for pH measurement with wireless data transmission and integration with a custom CMOS potentiostat.