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Abstract In surgical medicine, suturing is the standard treatment for large incisions, yet traditional sutures are limited in functionality. Electrical stimulation is a non-pharmacological therapy that promotes wound healing. In this context, we designed a passive and biodegradable mechanoelectric suture. The suture consists of multi-layer coaxial structure composed of (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), polycaprolactone) and magnesium to allow safe degradation. In addition to the excellent mechanical properties, the mechanoelectrical nature of the suture grants the generation of electric fields in response to movement and stretching. This is shown to speed up wound healing by 50% and reduce the risk of infection. This work presents an evolution of the conventional wound closure procedures, using a safe and degradable device ready to be translated into clinical practice.

Abstract Maintaining stillness is essential for accurate bioelectrical signal acquisition, but dynamic noise from breathing remains unavoidable. Isotropic adhesives are often used as bioelectronic interfaces to ensure signal fidelity, but they can leave irreversible residues, compromising device accuracy. We propose a hydrogel with selective frequency damping and asymmetric adhesion as a bioelectronic interface. This hydrogel mitigates dynamic noise from breathing, with a damping effect in the breathing frequency range 60 times greater than at other frequencies. It also exhibits an asymmetric adhesion difference of up to 537 times, preventing residues. By homogenizing ion distribution, extending Debye length, and densifying the electric field, the hydrogel ensures stable signal transmission over 10,000 cycles. Additionally, it can non-invasively diagnose otitis media with higher sensitivity than invasive probes and has been effective in clinical polysomnography monitoring, aiding in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Coordinating dynamic interceptive actions in sports like badminton requires skilled performance in getting the racket into the right place at the right time. For this reason, the strategic movement and placement of one's feet, or footwork, is an important part of competitive performance. Developing an automated, efficient, and economical method to record individual movement characteristics of players is critical and can benefit athletes and motor control specialists. Here, we propose new methods for recording data on the footwork of individual badminton players, in which deep learning is used to obtain image coordinates (2D) of their shoes and binocular positioning to reconstruct the 3D coordinates of the shoes. Results show that the final positioning accuracy is 74.7%. Using the proposed methods, we revealed inter-individual adaptations in the footwork of several participants during competitive performance. The data provided insights on how individual participants coordinated footwork to intercept the projectile, by varying the distance traveled on court and jump height. Compared with visual observations by biomechanists and motor control specialists, the proposed methods can obtain quantitative data, provide analysis and evaluation of each participant's performance, revealing personal characteristics that could be targeted to shape the individualized training programs of players to refine their badminton footwork.

Bioinformation plays an imperative role in day-to-day life. Wearable bioelectronics are important for sensing bioinformation in real-time and conductive hydrogel fibers are a key component in next generation wearable bioelectronics. However, current conductive hydrogel fibers have remarkable disadvantages such as insufficient conductivity, stability, and bioinformation sensing ability. Here, we report the synthesis of a zwitterionic organohydrogel (ZOH) fiber by the combination of the mold method and solvent replacement strategy. The ZOH fiber shows transparency (92.1%), stretchability (905.8%), long-term stability, anti-freezing ability (−35–60 °C), and low light transmission loss (0.17 dB/cm). Then, we integrate the ZOH fiber into fabric for use as a bioinformation sensor, the results prove its capability as a bioinformation monitor, monitoring information such as motion and bioelectric signals. In addition, the potential of the ZOH fiber in optogenetic applications is also confirmed.

With the advancements in artificial intelligence, high-performance wearable fiber sensors have assumed a pivotal role in health monitoring and human-computer interaction. However, the conventional dry fiber electrode exhibits inherent limitations, notably compromised signal stability due to motion artifacts at the skin interface. To address these challenges, we present a strategy aimed at enhancing the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal quality of the dry fiber electrode. The design of our approach involves a composite fiber (CF) electrode that utilizes the skin-core architecture of acrylic acid-acrylamide (AA-AM). This integration enhances interface adhesion and optimizes monitoring of the signal output through the AA-AM ion conduction crosslinking network. Beyond exhibiting commendable skin compliance and biocompatibility, CF electrodes demonstrate remarkable tensile properties (0.4 MPa) and reliable electrical characteristics. Notably, the CF electrode boasts an ionic conductivity of 1.9 S m-1 and low interface impedance (1 × 105 Ω). Moreover, the CF electrode achieves a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 31 dB, which represents a 50% improvement in the SNR of the ECG signal compared to the dry electrode. This enhancement offers promising possibilities for the practical application of bio-electrodes in medical monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]