Reliable sensing with unreliable sensors: Rethinking the theoretical foundation of field-deployed wearable/implantable/environmental sensors

Abstract

There is a widely shared and potentially well-justified enthusiasm for autonomous field-deployed (FD) wearable, implantable, and environmental sensors for the continuous monitoring of a variety of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and soil nitrate depletion. These FD sensors are often viewed as miniaturized versions of laboratory-based or point-of-care (POC) biosensors, with the primary focus being on material development and mechanical form factor challenges (e.g., stretchability, flexibility, and biocompatibility). In this article, we highlight that the FD sensors are fundamentally different compared to lab-based or POC sensors. We borrow concepts from biology (e.g., bacteria) to quantify the fundamental challenges inherent to such sensors and strategies to overcome them.