Tutorial Review
Active implantable drug delivery systems: engineering factors, challenges, opportunities
This review outlines a system-level framework for active implantable drug delivery systems (AIDDSs), analyzing how design choices in actuation, powering, and communication affect clinical translation and the development of scalable devices.
Wearable and implantable microfluidic technologies for future digital therapeutics
Recent advances in wearable and implantable microfluidics enable real-time sensing, drug delivery, and closed-loop therapy, with emerging trends in stretchability, multimodal integration, and AI-driven data processing.
Critical Review
Microfluidic technologies for wearable and implantable biomedical devices
This review highlights how microfluidic technologies advance wearable and implantable biomedical devices for real-time health monitoring and targeted therapy, while addressing materials, fabrication, applications, and clinical translation challenges.
Critical Review
Liquid transport strategies in wearable and implantable microfluidic systems
Liquid transport is an essential functionality in microfluidic operation. This review summarizes emerging strategies for liquid management in bioelectronics, with a focus on system-level integration and applications.
Critical Review
Autonomous wearable sensing enabled by capillary microfluidics: a review
This review highlights advances in capillary microfluidic wearables enabling power-free, continuous biofluid monitoring and biosensing, with emphasis on fluidic architectures, analyte detection, and pathways for clinical translation.
Communication
Design and characterization of a self-powered microneedle microfluidic system for interstitial fluid sampling
Microneedle-based platform enables passive, zero-power extraction of interstitial fluid from skin models, demonstrating rapid sampling kinetics, efficient uptake, and accurate quantitative recovery of cortisol for wearable diagnostic applications.
Multifunctional microfluidic bioelectronic suture for accelerated healing and wound monitoring
A multifunctional microfluidic bioelectronic suture enables real-time wound monitoring and electrical stimulation to accelerate healing.
Microneedle patch integrated with a pumpless microfluidic chip for heterologous drug delivery
Schematic of the drug release (a) from MN patches by a general surface coating method and (b) from the MN patch with a hole combined with a microfluidic chip.
Embroidered paper-based electrochemical wearable device for pH monitoring in wounds
Herein, we report the first electrochemical microfluidic thread/paper-based analytical device (μTPAD) by harnessing the synergistic combination of embroidery as a manufacturing technique and paper-based technology.
Paper
Hydrophilic skin-interfaced microfluidic devices for comprehensive sweat collection and analysis
Hydrophilic PDMS–PEG soft wearable microfluidics are developed via one-pot soft lithography, which doubles the sweat collection volume and advances noninvasive, reliable sampling for clinical analysis.
sNails: sweat-sensing nails for unobtrusive, wearable microfluidic sweat monitoring from the dorsal distal phalanges
A wearable microfluidic device captures sweat on the dorsal distal phalanges of the fingers during everyday activity.
Micro elastofluidic liquid diode for programmable unidirectional flow control
A stretchable liquid diode enables tuneable, passive, and unidirectional flow by coupling surface wettability modulation with mechanical stretching. This approach enables programmable liquid routing, for wearable microfluidic applications.
Paper
Bistable magnetic valves for selective sweat sampling in wearable microfluidics
A wearable microfluidic device with magneto-active bistable valves enables energy-efficient, on-demand, and contamination-free sweat collection with high spatial and temporal resolution.
Microchannel-confined droplet-based electricity generator for biomechanical energy conversion and sensing
A flexible microchannel-confined droplet-based electricity generator (MC-DEG) is proposed, enabling biomechanical energy conversion and physiological signal monitoring.
Morphing out-of-surface channels enable strain-based control over fluid flow in skin-mountable patches
Out-of-surface microchannels (OSMiCs) are arched, monolithic PDMS structures that shrink under tensile strain, directly converting skin stretching into fluid pressure and addressing a critical challenge in wearable microfluidics.
A multi-channel wearable sensing patch based on gate-all-around field-effect transistors
A multi-channel wearable sensing patch based on gate-all-around field-effect transistors that enables comprehensive health monitoring.
A novel manual rotating fluid control mechanism in a microfluidic device with a finger-actuated pump for dual-mode sweat sampling
A novel wearable microfluidic device designed for dual-mode sweat sampling, addressing the limitations in real-time and on-demand modes operation, with applications in chronic disease management, athletic performance optimization, and early-stage condition detection.
Microneedle-integrated distance-based paper device for simultaneous transdermal detection of cortisol and dopamine
Wearable microneedle-paper device enables simultaneous, minimally invasive detection of cortisol and dopamine in interstitial fluid via colorimetric distance-based sensing for simple, low-cost, equipment-free stress monitoring.
Integrated microfluidic colorimetric patch with auto-framing APP for multiplex temporal detection of ketone bodies in sweat
Ketone bodies are key products of fat metabolism, primarily consisting of acetoacetate (AcAc), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and acetone (acetone).
Soft, wearable, microfluidic system for fluorometric analysis of loss of amino acids through eccrine sweat
Quantitative analysis of amino acid loss in sweat during exercise using a smartphone-enabled, microfluidic platform.
About this collection
Microfluidics is driving advancements in wearable and implantable technologies. Accelerated by innovations in miniaturised devices and portable electronics, these systems can provide non-invasive, real-time health monitoring through biofluids like sweat, saliva, and interstitial fluid. By incorporating flexible, durable, and biocompatible materials, they allow for enhanced performance and usability.
These technologies provide critical insights into human health, disease progression, and therapeutic effectiveness – enabling highly personalised and adaptive healthcare. Alongside advancements in AI, IoT, and automated diagnostics, microfluidics is helping to reshape personalised medicine, delivering continuous and responsive health management solutions.
This Thematic Collection – led by Thought Leaders Chwee Teck (C.T.) Lim (NUS) and Wei Gao (Caltech) – aims to highlight the most innovative advancements in wearable and implantable technologies, showcasing cutting-edge applications shaping the future of the field.