Personal Record

The team have developed an innovative in-sensor computing platform that integrates stretchable organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with advanced sensing and edge AI capabilities.

“The key innovation lies in combining sensing, computing and stretchability into a single, compact device,” said Professor Zhang Shiming, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who led the research team. “Unlike traditional wearable devices, this platform processes data locally and in real time, offering faster feedback, enhanced privacy, and reduced reliance on external devices or network connectivity.”

‘Edge AI’ refers to artificial intelligence processing that occurs directly on the device, rather than relying on cloud computing or external servers. “In this wearable platform, edge AI enables real-time data processing, minimising delays, reducing power consumption, and enhancing privacy by limiting the need for data transmission,” explained Professor Zhang. “This makes the device efficient, responsive and reliable, especially in scenarios where internet connectivity might be limited or where immediate feedback is required.”

The implications are profound: this innovative technology paves the way for personalised, proactive healthcare by enabling continuous, real-time health monitoring with high precision, even during motion, while also reducing power consumption.

Asked how it differs from an Apple Watch, or similar devices, Professor Zhang explained: “Our wearable platform offers in-sensor computing capabilities through its integration of OECTs, which have higher sensitivity for detecting body signals. It can record real-time electrophysiological data, such as muscle and nerve activity, with much greater accuracy.”

Natural movement

Additionally, its stretchable and flexible design allows it to conform to the body’s natural movements and soft tissues, avoiding problems like motion artifacts that limit the accuracy of traditional devices. All of this makes it more suitable for long-term, precise health monitoring and applications in fields like AI medicine and human-machine interfacing.

“Stretchability is crucial because it ensures that the device can conform to the body’s soft tissues and adapt to natural movements without causing discomfort or losing accuracy,” said Professor Zhang. “Traditional electronics, which are made of rigid materials like silicon, create a mechanical mismatch with the body, leading to motion artifacts and unreliable data.

“The stretchable design of this platform was developed as a result of our decade-long research on soft materials, and eliminates these issues enabling seamless integration with the skin for stable, accurate and long-term health monitoring, even during physical activities like exercise.”

The coin-sized device is highly adaptable and can be worn on various parts of the body, including the wrist or upper arm, depending on the specific health monitoring application. Its flexible design allows it to conform to different body areas, making it versatile for multiple diverse healthcare and activity-tracking needs.

The team have been actively working at the intersection of flexible electronics, electrochemistry, wearable biosensors, and AI-integrated systems for several years.

“We conceptualised the world’s first stretchable OECT device and the first hydrogel OECT device,” said Professor Zhang. “Previous research efforts also include developing multi-channel printing platforms for scalable sensor fabrication and exploring bioelectronics applications using OECTs. These advancements laid the groundwork for integrating sensing, computing and stretchability into a single hardware platform, as demonstrated in this project.”

Healthcare settings

The next step involves refining the platform to enhance scalability and durability, as well as exploring its potential applications in various healthcare settings, such as remote patient monitoring, rehabilitation and early disease detection.

“The team are also seeking collaborations with industry partners and medical institutions to translate this technology into commercial and clinical use,” said Professor Zhang. “For example, some well-known wearable companies, such as Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz), which specialises in headphones, have shown interest in our technology to develop headphones with electroencephalogram detection functionality to support sports and health applications.”

The research was published in Nature Electronics, and has already garnered significant interest from the academic and healthcare communities.

“Our team are particularly proud of the interdisciplinary nature of the research, which combines flexible electronics, advanced sensors and AI technologies to address critical challenges in healthcare,” concluded Professor Zhang.

“We hope this work will push the boundaries of what is possible with wearable technology. The work is highly significant because of its implications for proactive, personalised medicine and the transition from reactive to active healthcare. The scalability of the platform and its potential to improve quality of life through real-time health monitoring means that it has the potential to have a very broad societal impact.”