Meet the team
from the Faculty of Engineering
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Pioneering the next generation of soft wearable technology
31 May 2024
Addressing the rapid surge in consumer uptake and engagement with smart devices
A materials-driven approach is key to developing the next-generation of soft wearable technology, say leading biomedical engineering researchers.
Academics at the School of Biomedical Engineering are looking to make wearable sensors almost skin-like through fundamental research, pushing the thickness limit of wearable sensors, energy devices, integrated circuits to transform current-generation rigid wearable 1.0 to next-generation wearable 2.0 products.
This makes them ultrathin, soft and conformal to curvilinear biological systems which offer unprecedented imperceptible features for ultimate bio-integrateable bioelectronics. They hope this may unlock the full potential of wearable technology, fundamentally changing and improving the way humans, animals and plants interact and engage with their environment.
Why invest in soft wearable tech?
The global market for wearable technology is estimated to reach a valuation of USD 186.48 billion and is projected to grow steadily at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6% between 2023 and 2030. The rapid surge in consumer uptake and engagement with smart devices is a key factor driving the expansion of the smart wearables industry.
The use of smart wearable technology can be transferable beyond human applications and across to animals, plants, robots, and even any real-world objects for seamless integration and interactions. Bio-wearable and bio-integrateable bioelectronics will represent the next technological paradigm shift resulting in unlimited potential to change and improve the way humans interact with their environments
Challenges in research for wearable tech
In spite of the growing wearables technology market, there is a number of intrinsic limitations in relation to hardware integration:
Form factor: Due to the intrinsic nature of current rigid circuit board technology, current wearables are bulky and obtrusive. This places major limitations on their ergonomics.
Battery life: Most wearables need to be charged frequently, often daily or every few days, which can be inconvenient for users, especially during activities where recharging capabilities are limited.
Data accuracy/reliability: Despite advances, many wearables still struggle with accuracy, particularly in tasks like fitness tracking or health monitoring. Factors such as sensor quality, placement, and user variability can affect data accuracy.
Innovation through materials-based research
The centre program covers broadly fundamental, applied and translational research. Together, the interwoven themes are all directed at developing next-generation soft, thin and imperceptible wearable products benefiting a broad scope of current and future industries.
"Our program aims to connect internationally renowned leaders in nanotechnology, resistive skin materials, quantum materials, theoretical metamaterials, materials/bio interface, ionic carbon materials, microfluidics," says Professor Wenglong.
This will be complemented with multidisciplinary researchers in chemistry, electronic engineering, data science, sensors, and mechanobiology.
Professor Wenlong Cheng
Future state of soft wearables
The project aims to enable benefits across a number of groups.
- Improved comfort
- Reduce motion artefacts
- Improved data accuracy and reliability
- Enhance convenience,
- Improved health and fitness monitoring
- Productivity
- Personalisation
- Safety and security
- Ability to monitoring plants and animal health and behaviours remotely.
- Enable robots to perceive tactile functions (e.g. cooking, fruiting picking, aged care).
Our clinical, environmental and robotic scientists will collaborate with their industrial partners to test any high TRL products coming out of the centre program to generate broad industrial and societal impacts.
- Access to cutting-edge research technology
- Support to lead and stay ahead of the competition towards next-generation wearable technology
- Timely access to the latest technological advances
- Right of first refusal for any potential commercialisation
- Possible access to government research and development initiatives
There are a number of potential and current challenges including endangered great barrier reef, lack of healthcare infrastructure in remote/rural areas, increased rates of chronic diseases in indigenous communities, preparedness for future pandemics, shortage of skilled workforce, animal welfare and predictive disease control in livestock farming.
A soft wearable technology program aims to generate a critical mass of new knowledge and technology, and incubate industries, offering better solutions in agriculture, environment, health and automation.