Biomedical Electronics and Wearable Systems

Overview & Synopsis

Wearable electronic systems allow for the monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and activity levels. These real-time data help individuals understand their personal health trends and make informed decisions to improve their well-being. The eleven papers included in this Special Issue show how wearables facilitate a proactive, preventive, and personalized approach to health management, empowering individuals and supporting healthcare providers in delivering better care while also addressing some challenges to the wider adoption of these systems. Reliable and durable electrodes and sensors are essential for accurate data in e-health applications, improving diagnostics, and the early detection of health issues. Wearable inertial measurement devices offer personalized insights based on individual data, enabling the calculation of sports intensity thresholds, tracking recovery in patients with low back pain, and aiding in the early detection of foot-related diseases. Wearables provide continuous data that can detect health problems early and help manage chronic conditions. They allow patients to monitor health metrics regularly, such as remote glucose monitoring, enable healthcare providers to adjust treatment plans based on objective data, and support patient risk stratification in the preoperative period. However, comfort, non-invasiveness, power consumption, data integrity, and safety are still open issues in the development of biomedical electronics and wearables, propelling research on dedicated buses and robust infrastructures that enable seamless data integration from different sensors.