In-body wearable devices present innovative possibilities in disease diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring, but their high cost and limited access remain big barriers. Let’s look at the ways to make sure that more patients benefit from these high-tech devices from various aspects.

Technology and Functionality:

• Various forms of on-body wearables are being developed, such as smart clothing, patches, and accessories. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each form, and which forms are best suited for specific applications?
• For skin-attached sensors, how are factors directly related to user comfort, such as adhesion, breathability, and water resistance, being improved? How are issues like skin irritation from long-term wear being addressed?
• How far can the types of biosignals measurable by on-body wearables (heart rate, body temperature, sweat, EMG, etc.) be expanded? What are the future directions of sensor technology for measuring these signals?
• How are algorithms and AI technologies for real-time analysis of collected biosignals and providing useful information to users developing? What are the data utilization strategies for providing personalized health management services?
• Please explain the current status and future development directions of power supply methods (batteries, energy harvesting, etc.) for on-body wearables. I’m particularly interested in the technological efforts to address long-term use and the inconvenience of battery replacement.

Medical and Healthcare:

• What is the potential for using on-body wearables for remote patient monitoring, chronic disease management, and rehabilitation training? Could you provide examples of actual applications and their effectiveness in medical settings?
• What are the reliability, accuracy, and safety standards that on-body wearables must meet as medical devices? What technical and regulatory efforts are needed to meet these standards?
• How should privacy and security issues related to medical data collected by on-body wearables be managed? How should ethical issues regarding patient consent and data usage be considered?

In-body Device-Type Wearables:

Technology and Functionality:

• Please explain the types of in-body wearables (pacemakers, insulin pumps, deep brain stimulators, etc.), their operating principles, and their characteristics.
• What is the current status and future direction of key technologies required for in-body wearable development, such as biocompatible materials, wireless power transfer, and biosignal sensing?
• What is the state of research on the lifespan and replacement cycle of in-body wearables, as well as the risks and side effects that may occur during replacement?

Medical and Healthcare:

• How far can the possibilities of using in-body wearables for disease diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring be expanded? In particular, can they offer new treatment possibilities for disease areas that were difficult to access with existing medical technologies?
• How should the safety and ethical issues of in-body wearables be evaluated and managed? I’m interested in hearing expert opinions on issues such as long-term effects on the human body, the possibility of hacking and data breaches, and the infringement of patient autonomy.
• How can the high cost and limited accessibility of in-body wearables be addressed? What measures can be taken to ensure that more patients can benefit?

Common Questions (Applicable to both On-body and In-body):

• How do you foresee the future of medicine and healthcare being shaped by the development of on-body and in-body wearables?
• What social and economic impacts do you think the development of wearable devices will have on personal health management practices and healthcare systems?

These questions are designed to facilitate in-depth interviews or discussions with wearable experts. By distinguishing between on-body and in-body devices, we can clearly identify the characteristics and challenges of each type of wearable.