Envisioned strategy for an early intervention in virus-suspected patients through non-invasive piezo- and pyro-electric-based wearable sensors

Abstract

The intervention of virus-infected persons mainly relies on diagnostic methods, and accordingly COVID-19 is not an exception. Thus, a major research direction in viral diagnosis is aligned towards biological- and biomedical-based approaches. In contrast, there is plenty of scope in wearable devices towards early intervention and continuous health status monitoring. Of particular interest, piezo- and pyro-electric wearable sensors can play a significant role by detecting physiological signals in the virus-affected patients. Remotely monitoring physiological signals, such as temperature, respiration, heart rate and other data is an added advantage, where the integration of artificial intelligence is possible. This can improve clinical decision-making paths. In this perspective, the most relevant piezo- and pyro-electric sensor-based wearable sensors for healthcare monitoring towards the early detection of virus-affected abnormalities are highlighted. To implement these types of sensors, the relevant fundamentals of piezo- and pyro-electricity are also discussed. Additionally, relevant materials and device structures are reviewed in order to understand the pros and cons, and thus further improvement can be applied according to the requirements. The envisioned strategy for the early detection of virus-suspected patients through non-invasive wearable sensors is becoming very important in non-contact-based physiological data collection, particularly in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.