Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur) are developing next-generation flexible semiconductor devices for continuous health monitoring, early disease detection, and physiological assessment in demanding conditions. The work is being carried out at the HESTECH (Hybrid Electronic Sensor Technologies) Lab, led by Dr. Akshay Moudgil, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering.

The research focuses on soft, flexible, and intelligent semiconductor devices that can monitor important physiological and biochemical signals from the human body in real time. These wearable sensors are designed to measure parameters such as heart rate, muscle signals, body temperature, and skin pressure while remaining comfortable for long-duration use.

According to Dr. Akshay Moudgil, the motivation for the work is to address a major gap in accessible, continuous health monitoring.

“Across India and the world, many health conditions are detected too late because continuous monitoring remains limited outside specialised settings. Our goal is to develop semiconductor devices that can monitor body signals continuously and comfortably, so that early warning signs can be identified and acted upon in time,” said Dr. Moudgil.

A key component of this work is the Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT), a class of semiconductor device particularly well suited for interfacing with biological signals and fluids. Unlike conventional rigid electronics, OECT-based platforms can support both electrical and biochemical sensing in flexible formats.

The HESTECH Lab is developing low-power wearable sensors using biocompatible hybrid semiconductor materials that can be fabricated on thin, flexible substrates. This makes them suitable for skin-conformal devices for continuous and non-invasive monitoring.

“Our work is exploring whether a single semiconductor platform can capture both the electrical activity of the body and biochemical signatures linked to disease. Using OECT technology, we are building flexible devices for monitoring heart activity, muscle response, and disease-related biomarkers in a compact and wearable format,” explained Dr. Moudgil.

One important application area is early disease screening. The team is developing biochemical sensors to identify clinically relevant biomarkers in biofluids, such as saliva, serum, and blood. In the future, such portable systems could support point-of-care screening in dental clinics, rural health camps, and mobile diagnostic settings.

In parallel, the lab is developing wearable sensors for physical health monitoring, including soft ECG patches for cardiac monitoring, EMG sensors for muscle activity tracking, and pressure and temperature sensors to detect early signs of pressure ulcers in vulnerable patients.

The technology also has significant potential in defence and extreme-environment applications. Flexible semiconductor sensors could be integrated into uniforms or wearable patches to monitor physiological stress markers such as cardiac load, dehydration, fatigue, heat stress, and muscle strain during training or field operations.

“For defence environments, such devices could support real-time physiological monitoring of personnel in the field. This may help improve decision-making, reduce stress-related injuries, and strengthen mission readiness under challenging operational conditions,” said Dr. Moudgil.

The prototypes developed at IIT Jodhpur have shown promising early results in laboratory evaluations, including reliable physiological signal acquisition and encouraging performance under conditions involving heat, sweat, and prolonged usage, while maintaining low power consumption.

The research is being undertaken in collaboration with AIIMS Jodhpur under the project titled Development of Organic Electrochemical Transistor Platform for Bioelectronic Applications (I/RIG/AKM/20240038).

The work reflects IIT Jodhpur’s commitment to developing advanced technologies that address pressing challenges in healthcare, preventive diagnostics, and national security.

At IIT Jodhpur, we believe innovation must translate into real-world impact. Through semiconductor-based wearable technologies, we are working towards a future in which health monitoring becomes more continuous, comfortable, and intelligent,” added Dr. Moudgil.

With continued research and translational development, this technology could contribute to more accessible diagnostics, preventive healthcare, and advanced health monitoring solutions for both civilian and defence applications.

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