The flexible pressure sensor is one of the essential components of the wearable device, which is a critical solution to the applications of artificial intelligence and human−computer interactions in the future. Due to its simple manufacturing process and measurement methods, research related to piezoresistive mechanical sensors is booming, and those sensors are already widely used in industry. However, existing pressure sensors are almost all based on negative resistance variations, making it difficult to reach a balance between the sensitivity and the detection range. Here, we demonstrated a low-cost flexible pressure sensor with a positive resistance−pressure response based on laser scribing graphene. The sensor can be customized and modulated to achieve both an ultrahigh sensitivity and a broad detection range. Furthermore, the device possesses the signal amplification property like a mechanical triode under the external pressure bias. Based on its amplification ability, varieties of physiological signals and human movements have been detected using our devices; then, an integrated gait monitoring system has been realized. The reported positive graphene pressure sensor has outstanding capability, showing a wide application range such as intelligent perception, an interactive device, and real-time health/motion monitoring.

Based on the good characteristics of graphene, many physiological signals can be detected by graphene sensors covering the human body. Graphene wearable sensors have great potential in healthcare and telemedicine.

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the prime indicator for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. IOP has circadian rhythm changes and is dependent on body gestures; therefore, a single measurement in the clinic can be misleading for diagnosis. Herein, few-layer graphene is utilized to develop non-invasive sensors with high transparency, sensitivity, linearity, and biocompatibility for 24 h continuous IOP monitoring. The graphene Wheatstone bridge consisting of two strain gauges and two compensating resistors is designed to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of IOP measurement. Testing results on a silicone eyeball indicate that the output voltage of the sensor is proportional to the IOP fluctuation. Under the various ranges and speeds of IOP fluctuation, the sensor exhibits excellent performance of dynamic cycles and step responses with an average sensitivity of 150 μV/mmHg. With the linear relationship, the average relative error between the calibrated IOP and the standard pressure is maintained at about 5%. More than 100 cycles and interval time measurements illustrate that the sensor possesses significant stability, durability, and reliability. Furthermore, a wireless system is designed for the sensor to realize IOP monitoring using a mobile phone. This sensor, with the average transparency of 85% and its ease of fabrication, as well as its portability for continuous IOP monitoring, brings new promise to the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

As the aging population increases in many countries, electronic skin (e‐skin) for health monitoring has been attracting much attention. However, to realize the industrialization of e‐skin, two factors must be optimized. The first is to achieve high comfort, which can significantly improve the user experience. The second is to make the e‐skin intelligent, so it can detect and analyze physiological signals at the same time. In this article, intelligent and multifunctional e‐skin consisting of laser‐scribed graphene and polyurethane (PU) nanomesh is realized with high comfort. The e‐skin can be used as a strain sensor with large measurement range (>60%), good sensitivity (GF≈40), high linearity range (60%), and excellent stability (>1000 cycles). By analyzing the morphology of e‐skin, a parallel networks model is proposed to express the mechanism of the strain sensor. In addition, laser scribing is also applied to etch the insulating PU, which greatly decreases the impedance in detecting electrophysiology signals. Finally, the e‐skin is applied to monitor the electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram (EEG), and electrooculogram signals. A time‐ and frequency‐domain concatenated convolution neural network is built to analyze the EEG signal detected using the e‐skin on the forehead and classify the attention level of testers.

Current wearable sensors are fabricated with substrates, which limits the comfort, flexibility, stretchability, and induces interface mismatch. In addition, the substrate prevents the evaporation of sweat and is harmful to skin health. In this work, we have enabled the substrate-free laser scribed graphene (SFG) electronic skin (e-skin) with multifunctions. Compared with the eskin with the substrate, the SFG has good gas permeability, low impedance, and flexibility. Only assisted using water, the SFG can be transferred to almost any objects including silicon and human skin and it can even be suspended. Many through-holes like stomas in leaf can be formed in the SFG, which make it breathable. After designing the pattern, the gauge factor (GF) of graphene electronic skin (GES) can be designed as the strain sensor. Physiological signals such as respiration, human motion, and electrocardiogram (ECG) can be detected. Moreover, the suspended SFG detect vibrations with high sensitivity. Due to the substrate-free structure, the impedance between SFG e-skin and the human body decreases greatly. Finally, an ECG detecting system has been designed based on the GES, which can monitor the body condition in real time. To analyze the ECG signals automatically, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was built and trained successfully. This work has high potential in the field of health telemonitoring.

No abstract

Textiles are materials that are extensively used in everyday life; textile-based sensors can, therefore, be regarded as ideal devices for a health monitor. However, previously reported textile sensors have limited prospects due to their single function or incompatibility. Traditional textile sensors generally focus on signal detection, which has not been able to be combined with an actuator to provide real-time health status feedback. Thus, to date, there are no well-established health monitoring systems based on intelligent textiles. Herein, we present a wearable batch-prepared graphene-based textile based on laser-scribing and thermal-transfer technology. Integrated with four functions of strain sensing, pressure sensing, physiological electrical sensing, and sound emitting, the GT is able to detect human body signals and transduce them to sound signals when the user is in an abnormal physical state. Moreover, the GT has high linearity for both strain and pressure sensing; the coefficients of determination exceed 99.3% and 98.2%, respectively. The performance of the device remains stable up to a pressure of 1000 kPa. The response time of the GT possession reaches as low as 85 ms at 4.2 Pa pressure. Therefore, due to their diversified functions and good performance, the research on GT is expected to extend to the fields of health monitoring, sports monitoring, and so forth.

Thermoacoustic (TA) effect has been discovered for more than 130 years. However, limited by the material characteristics, the performance of a TA sound source could not be compared with magnetoelectric and piezoelectric loudspeakers. Recently, graphene, a two-dimensional material with the lowest heat capacity per unit area, was discovered to have a good TA performance. Compared with a traditional sound source, graphene TA sound sources (GTASSs) have many advantages, such as small volume, no diaphragm vibration, wide frequency range, high transparency, good flexibility, and high sound pressure level (SPL). Therefore, graphene has a great potential as a next-generation sound source. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging can also be applied to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases using the photothermo-acoustic (PTA) effect. Therefore, in this review, we will introduce the history of TA devices. Then, the theory and simulation model of TA will be analyzed in detail. After that, we will talk about the graphene synthesis method. To improve the performance of GTASSs, many strategies such as lowering the thickness and using porous or suspended structures will be introduced. With a good PTA effect and large specific area, graphene PA imaging and drug delivery is a promising prospect in cancer treatment. Finally, the challenges and prospects of GTASSs will be discussed.