Focused Sessions

Rapid progress in flexible, stretchable, and printable electronics is enabling new concepts for neuro-interfaces and wearable electrophysiology systems that can conform to soft tissue, maintain stable contact under motion, and support long-term, high-fidelity recording and stimulation. This includes soft and biocompatible electrode materials and structures for EEG/ECoG/EMG/ENG and peripheral nerve interfaces, skin-compatible dry/hydrogel/microneedle interfaces for low-impedance contact, robust packaging for reliability and safety, and hybrid integration of sensors, interconnects, and wireless modules in thin, lightweight form factors. 
 

Driven by growing interest in understanding brain function, treating neurological disorders, and enabling brain–machine interface (BMI) technologies, neural interface research has advanced rapidly. Key directions in this field include minimizing invasiveness, integrating multimodal functionalities beyond electrophysiology (e.g., optical, acoustic, and magnetic modalities), and scaling data acquisition and analysis. In this talk, I will discuss recent advances in neural interface technologies along these three directions and present our recent work addressing associated challenges.

The increasing adoption of AI accelerators and chiplet-based heterogeneous integration has intensified the demand for high-bandwidth, low-loss interconnects at the package-substrate level. Glass substrates have attracted strong interest as next-generation
interconnect platforms due to their low dielectric loss and excellent dimensional stability. However, forming high-resolution, high-frequency metal interconnects on glass through scalable processes remains challenging.

This focused session will explore recent advances in ultra-thin, high-performance bioelectronics enabled by two-dimensional (2D) and atomically thin materials. Emphasis will be placed on how material thickness and unique electronic, mechanical, and interfacial properties enable new capabilities in bioelectronic sensing, stimulation, and biological interfacing. Topics include 2D material-based sensors, flexible and conformal device architectures, hybrid material systems, and strategies for achieving high signal fidelity, mechanical compliance, and stable biointerfaces. Applications include wearable and implantable health monitoring, neural and electrophysiological interfaces, and next-generation human-machine interaction. 

Conventional electronic components are rigid and stiff, making them poorly suited for integration with soft, dynamic biological systems such as skin, nerves, and organs. Atomically thin materials such as graphene and other emerging 2D materials offer a transformative alternative. Their flexibility, transparency, and biocompatibility enable seamless interfaces with living tissue while providing powerful electronic and sensing capabilities.

Atomically thin materials are enabling a new generation of bioelectronic systems that move beyond passive sensing toward adaptive, interactive, and intelligent interfacing with biological environments. Among these materials, graphene provides a uniquely attractive platform due to its exceptional electrical, mechanical, and interfacial properties, enabling ultrathin and high-fidelity bioelectronic interfaces. 

Soft and flexible devices and machines with compliant structures and integrated flexible electronics have emerged as a powerful class of systems for interacting with complex and dynamic environments. By combining mechanically compliant materials with distributed sensing and electronic functionality, these systems hold significant promise for advancing a broad range of engineering applications, including environmental monitoring, human–machine interaction, and biomedical technologies for disease diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. Recent advances in flexible and stretchable electronics have enabled soft actuators that are lightweight, compact, fast-responding, and responsive to diverse external stimuli. 

The next generation of intelligent soft machines requires seamless integration of flexible sensing, adaptive actuation, and closed-loop control to operate robustly in complex, dynamic environments. In this talk, I will present recent advances in multifunctional soft robotic systems that bridge human–machine interaction, environmental perception, and autonomous adaptation. I will first introduce an all-printed soft electronic skin platform for multimodal physicochemical sensing and intuitive human–machine interfacing, enabling AI-assisted gesture control and real- time hazard detection. 

Intelligent soft machines emerge at the intersection of flexible sensing and soft actuation, where compliant structures and integrated electronics merge sensing, actuation, and programmability across the boundary between humans and matter. On the sensing side, skin-conformal, stretchable electronics capture physiological and biomechanical signals with high fidelity, translating them into digital data. On the actuation side, digitally reprogrammable metamaterials dynamically reconfigure their shape and mechanical response in real time. Together, these technologies form a bidirectional loop: physical states are digitized into inputs, while mechanical properties are adaptively reprogrammed to enhance performance and well-being.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has great promise for noninvasive biosensing; however, challenges in signal reproducibility and hotspot uniformity limit its quantitative application in wearable formats. To address these limitations, we developed a multi-reservoir, wearable microfluidic device preloaded with a gold nanorod-coated SERS substrate, enzymes, and internal standards. The system employs an enzymatic cascade to convert Raman-inactive leucomalachite green (LMG) into Raman-active malachite green (MG) in the presence of creatinine or glucose, thereby enabling indirect quantification via a highly sensitive and selective SERS signal. To improve robustness, we integrated three key strategies: (1) normalization using preloaded IS material, (2) repeated measurements within each reservoir to allow statistical averaging, and (3) duplication of the Raman signal with colorimetric output from the same enzymatic reaction. Human trials were conducted to validate both benchtop and on-body performance.

Flexible electronics, including human–machine interfaces and soft robots, are revolutionizing modern technology. Central to this progress are gels, which offer a unique blend of biocompatibility and tunable charge transport. These attributes allow them to serve as high-performance sensing units, flexible electrolytes for energy storage, and active components in ambient energy harvesters. With publications in this area skyrocketing, our focused session emphasizes on the intersection of gels, sensing, and energy. 

The use of bioelectronic devices for acquiring biological information and delivering therapeutic interventions relies on direct contact with soft bio-tissues. To ensure high-quality signal transductions, the interfaces between bioelectronic devices and bio-tissues must have the highest contact area and long-term stability. 

This presentation delves into the development of advanced photoresponsive and optoionic hydrogels with significant potential in iontronics. Our research has created hydrogels that combine light-responsive behavior with active ion conductivity regulation, enabling advanced functionalities.