Sensing in the Skin with Semiconductors

Driven by increasing demands to augment wearables with added dimensions of real-time biomarker information, much attention has been directed at sweat sampling to facilitate non-invasive continuous biochemical assessment. However, efforts to date have largely been challenged by the unique physiology and metabolic requirements of the eccrine gland, not to mention both population and anatomic variations in sweat rate. With this in mind, and motivated by the need to access metabolic information in a manner perceived to be non-invasive by the user, sensing within the dermal strata appears to bridge the divide between more invasive subcutaneous implants, such as those employed for continuous glucose monitoring, and the promise of non-invasive biochemical sensing, offering many of the same benefits of the latter, but providing accurate figures of merit of the former. This interactive discussion highlights a number of challenges confronting developers of biomarker-sensing wearables and is aimed at educating participants about the merits (and limitations) associated with sensing in the dermis.