Smart dressing patch could help patients monitor diabetic ulcers with smartphone

KAIST-led researchers have developed a wireless, battery-free sensor patch that can track glucose, acidity and temperature changes in diabetic wounds in real time, with results available through a smartphone

A research team led by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a wireless, battery-free smart dressing patch that can monitor diabetic ulcers in real time and help patients and clinicians to detect early warning signs before serious complications develop.

Diabetic ulcers are among the most dangerous complications of diabetes. They are particularly common on the feet, where impaired circulation, nerve damage and delayed wound repair can allow apparently minor injuries to deteriorate rapidly. If infection or tissue damage progresses beyond the treatment window, patients can face tissue necrosis and – in severe cases – amputation.

Professor Inkyu Park, from the department of mechanical engineering at KAIST, led the research in collaboration with Professor Ji-Hwan Ha of Hanbat National University, researcher Junho Jeong of the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials all in Daejeon, South Korea and Professor Wei Gao of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA. The team has developed what it described as a ‘wireless, battery-free optoelectronic multi-modal sensor patch’ for the management of diabetic ulcers.

The patch combines a functional wound dressing with an optoelectronic sensor system capable of measuring several biological indicators at the wound site. It can analyse glucose concentration, pH and temperature changes in real time. These measurements are relevant because shifts in glucose, acidity and tissue temperature can indicate inflammation, infection or deterioration in wound status. Patients can check results themselves with a smartphone which could make the technology suitable for routine monitoring outside specialist clinical settings.

The researchers fabricated the functional dressing from nanofibres by using electrospinning, a technique that uses an electric field to produce fibres far thinner than a human hair. The dressing changes colour in response to increased glucose and altered acidity, both of which can occur in diabetic foot wounds. As the wound environment worsens, the colour change provides a visible warning signal that can be seen by eye.

The team said this approach could allow abnormal signs linked to tissue damage to be detected and tracked over long periods in a non-invasive way, without the need to cut the skin or draw blood. This could be important for patients with diabetes, who may already need regular blood glucose monitoring and repeated clinical assessments.

To improve diagnostic accuracy, the colour-responsive dressing was integrated with an optoelectronic system. A light-emitting diode, a semiconductor device that converts electrical energy into light, and a photodiode, a semiconductor sensor that detects light, were embedded in the patch. Together, these components measured the dressing’s colour change as light reflectance and converted the result into an electrical signal.

This system provides more stable and accurate data than ordinary camera-based imaging because it is less affected by variations in ambient light. In practical terms, the patch does not rely solely on a patient taking a photograph under consistent lighting conditions. Instead, it uses its own integrated optical measurement system to generate quantitative data from the wound dressing.

The patch operates without a separate battery through a flexible circuit based on near field communication, a short-range wireless technology widely used in contactless data exchange. When a smartphone is placed close to the sensor, the patch receives power wirelessly and begins to operate. It then transmits the measured data in real time to a smartphone app.

This means that patients and healthcare professionals could assess wound status with a smartphone alone, without the need for complex external equipment. The combination of an intuitive colour signal and quantitative electronic readout could make the patch useful both for at-home monitoring and for clinical decision support.

The research team said the technology had significant clinical potential because it provides both visual warning signs and measurable data without imposing a physical burden on patients. It could also improve quality of life for people with diabetes by enabling continuous wound management without repeated blood sampling.

“Research that began to reduce the pain of diabetic patients who have to prick their fingers with a needle every day has led to a technology for the pre-emptive diagnosis of complications,” said Park.

“This technology will become a core platform technology that can be expanded in the future to blood-free diagnostic technologies not only for diabetes but also for various chronic diseases,” he added.

For further reading please visit: 10.1002/adfm.202532167