IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO.

5, OCTOBER 2023 985

SkinAid: A Wirelessly Powered Smart Dressing

Solution for Continuous Wound-Tracking Using
Textile-Based Frequency Modulation
Dieff Vital , Member, IEEE, Pulak Bhushan , Member, IEEE, Pawan Gaire, Graduate Student Member, IEEE,
Md Khadimul Islam , Graduate Student Member, IEEE, Shashikant Lahade, Graduate Student Member, IEEE,
Vladimir Pozdin , Member, IEEE, John L. Volakis , Life Fellow, IEEE, Shekhar Bhansali, Fellow, IEEE,
and Shubhendu Bhardwaj, Member, IEEE

Abstract—In this article, SkinAid, a battery-free, low-cost, millimeterwave and terahertz frequencies where the bedsheet can
robust, and user-friendly smart bandage for electrochemical mon- be host to a MIMO-aided beamforming.
itoring and sensing of chronic wounds is proposed. The working
principle of the bandage is based on direct frequency modula- Index Terms—Corrugated-dipole antenna, near-field, pH
tion of a tri-electrode electrochemical sensing of wound data. The sensing, power efficiency, resonator, smart bandage, smart health,
electronics and biotelemetry links were realized using low-cost uric acid sensing, wearable electronics, wireless power transfer,
manufacturing process of textile embroidery onto fabric substrate. wound monitoring.
The transmitter was represented by a bedsheet with novel corru-
gated crossed-dipole made of Elektrisola-7 embroidered onto gauze
fabric. An input RF signal of 1 W was transmitted at 462 MHz from I. INTRODUCTION
the bedsheet to the all-textile bandage featuring a rectifying circuit,
MART, connected, and personalized health has been of a
a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), an electrochemical sensor,
and a 915-MHz dipole for re-transmission of the modulated wound
data. We demonstrate that for wound fluid emulated by various uric
S great interest since the birth of Internet of Things (IoT)
and internet of health things (IoHT). One of the goals has been
acid concentrations from 0.2 mM to 1.2 mM, corresponding modu- to track health conditions wirelessly and remotely. Wireless
lated frequency varies from 1090 MHz to 1145 MHz for signals cap- tracking of wound condition is associated to chronic wound man-
tured at 25 cm away from the bandage. For pH modulation ranging
from 2 to 10, the corresponding modulated frequency was between
agement which has costed more than $20 Billion in treatment
800 MHz and 830 MHz for signals received at more than 6 feet away per year [1] in medical costs. A wireless monitoring solution is
from the bandage. For quick and reliable assessment, two empirical of particular interest for diabetic patients, who are more effected
models were developed for the direct frequency modulation as a by long term wounds and chronic wounds.
function of uric acid and pH. To the best of our knowledge, this State-of-the-art solutions for wireless wound monitoring have
is the first time an all-textile (fabric-integrated), battery-free and
wirelessly powered smart bandage have been proposed for wound
shown significant advancements in wound biochemistry analysis
monitoring. This result can be used as a first step in developing and associated electronics for power and wireless data manage-
RFID-type, battery-free, and low-cost 5G/6G smart bandages using ment. Effective collection and analysis of wound fluid is done by
optimizing the surface chemistry of the sensors, designed to look
at the biomarkers. The intelligent bandages use biomarkers (or
Manuscript received 20 January 2023; revised 22 March 2023 and 27 May
2023; accepted 5 July 2023. Date of publication 13 July 2023; date of current bio-modulators) including pH, uric acid concentration, tempera-
version 29 November 2023. This work was supported in part by the Center ture, oxygenation, moisture, cortisol, etc [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7].
for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies The most predominant biomarkers are the pH level (influencing
under Grant NSF 1160483, and in part by the Florida Educational Fund through
McKnight Dissertation Year Fellowship. This paper was recommended by the biochemical reactions involved in the healing process) and
Associate Editor H. Heidari. (Corresponding author: Dieff Vital.) the uric acid concentration (an endogenous indicator that can be
Dieff Vital is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineer- used to indirectly monitor the pH) of the wound fluid. However,
ing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 USA (e-mail: dvital@
uic.edu). the pH monitoring is preferred over the other bio-markers,
Pulak Bhushan, Md Khadimul Islam, Vladimir Pozdin, John L. Volakis, because it is simple, fast, and can be easily done at an outpatient
and Shekhar Bhansali are with the Department of Electrical and Computer clinic. It is also used for skin grafting eligibility [8]. The pH
Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174 USA (e-mail:
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; has been found to be a potent influential factor in the healing
[email protected]). progress of the wound due to a modulation observed between
Pawan Gaire and Shubhendu Bhardwaj are with the Department of Electrical its values of 4 and 8.9 [8]. For that, the healing of the wound
and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588
USA (e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]). occurs when it shifts from neutral (pH ≈ 7) to acidic (pH ≤ 7) [9]
Shashikant Lahade is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Univer- and the severity of the damaged tissue escalates at pHs beyond
sity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA (e-mail: [email protected]). 7. The uric acid has a threshold of 0.4 mM below which, the
Color versions of one or more figures in this article are available at
https://doi.org/10.1109/TBCAS.2023.3294916. wound is in recovery phase and above it, the wound is getting
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TBCAS.2023.3294916 severe [10]. According to the findings from [11], [12], it can
© 2023 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
986 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

Fig. 2. System diagram showing the powering and data-metry link for the
proposed smart-bandage.

Fig. 1. Applications of the smart textile-integrated wound monitoring circuit, therefore is adaptable to multi-modal monitoring. This proves
entirely based on fabric integration (SkinAid). Graphics show applications using to be a unique advantage over traditional RFIDs which rely on
(a) a remote stationary remote kiosk and (b) a hand-held interrogator for mobile impedance modulation of antennas to measure changes in the
patients.
wound fluid, i.e. traditional RFID is not selective in sensing the
specific chemical in the fluid.
The bandage unit (shown in Fig. 3) is equipped with receiving
be used to indirectly evaluate wound pH. Finally, pH can be textile antenna, a textile RF-DC rectifier, an electrochemical sen-
monitored as a function of glucose [13]. sor to be dipped into the wound fluid to detect the bio-indicators,
A critical part in wound monitoring system encompasses the a textile voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to convert the sen-
electronics involved in the powering and extraction of data. Prior sor data into a unique frequency signal, and a data-telemetry
state-of-the-art solutions have shown sensor and electronic inter- antenna for wireless transmission to an external interrogator.
face integration using integrated circuits by taking advantage of Our system is demonstrated to measure changing levels of uric
micro-controllers. These may or may not include battery-based acid and pH in a solution. Here we report the completion of the
operation. For example solutions that use battery are listed as [2], work started in [25] and [26]. In [25], we conducted the analysis
[3], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19]. More recently near field of the antenna in providing modulated wound data. In [26], a
communication (NFC) has been demonstrated as an effective bandage was developed using a resistive load which emulated
means for powering the electronics [7], [20], [21], [22], and the wound fluid. The current work provides a comprehensive
avoid batteries [23]. work on the testbed evolution that allows us to use uric acid
The bulky battery- and micro-controller-based circuits shown with wired transfer and pH level with the wireless transfer. These
in the past make them uncomfortable to wear and the fear experiments demonstrate that both possible modalities of data
of battery depletion can also be a drawback. To eliminate the telemetry for any biomarker can be realized. The manuscript is
obtrusive components of the systems, the use of bio-compatible organized as follows: Section II presents the smart system with
flexible substrate and minimalist circuits is optimum. The best all the modalities and capabilities, Section III lays out all the
candidate among the bio-compatible substrates to be used in components, Section IV shows the integration of the bandage
such systems for contact with the skin is fabric, which comes and the corresponding measurements, and Section V concludes
with challenges that are already addressed in [24]. the work.
In this article, SkinAid is wirelessly powered and it uses
frequency modulation and back reflection to send the modulated II. THE PROPOSED SMART SYSTEM: “SKINAID”
wound data to a remote receiver (see Fig. 1). We propose
Here we summarize the operation, features and design-moti-
sensor-electronics integration to provide battery-free and wire-
vations for the constituent components within the proposed
less operation, and also offer a level of simplicity that is sufficient
smart bandage system. There are three main components of
to allow integration with fabric surfaces. In order to achieve
the smart bandage system, namely, (1) interrogator unit, (2)
this, we propose voltage-controlled-oscillator-based frequency
data collection unit or smart bandage, and (3) data retrieval and
modulation of the sensor data [25], [26], and near-zone RF
post processing. The block diagram of the system is shown in
power transfer enabled by single-diode RF to DC rectifica-
Fig. 2. A Photograph of the developed smart-bandage unit (i. e.
tion [27]. This solution mimics an RFID (also referred to as
component two) along with an associated schematic/operational
incident-reflect or back-scatter as shown in Fig. 1) operation
diagram is shown in Fig. 3.
while also employs active circuit for frequency modulation
of the sensor data. Textile RFIDs have been proposed before
A. The Interrogating Unit
in [19], [28], [29]. However, they used “passive-type” RFID,
which would not be a great choice for wound monitoring as The interrogating unit consists of an external RF-power sup-
the latter requires a very selective module, which is not the ply antenna (not shown in Fig. 3) optimized for operation
case in passive RFIDs. The proposed frequency modulation (as between 347 and 590 MHz where the center frequency was
opposed to amplitude modulation RFID) solution is independent approximately 500 MHz (see Fig. 4). The choice of frequency for
of the sensor biochemistry and different types of tri-electrode the RF power supply operation is based on the available sizes for
amperometric sensors (for pH, Uric Acid, among others) are Tx and Rx antennas in the smart-bandage unit. The Associated
compatible with the proposed electronics. This allows indepen- RF signal generator, amplifier chain and antenna are part of the
dent sensing of biomarkers with selectivity and specificity, and this unit, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to effectively transfer
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 987

power to the electrochemical sensor and the frequency modula-

tor (VCO). The proposed system uses a minimalist single diode
rectifier design for efficient and small-component operation of
the rectifier with an RF-to-DC conversion performance better or
similar to those published in [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36]. The
schematic operational diagram and the photograph of the unit is
shown in Fig. 3. A tri-electrode amperometric sensor is activated
using the available DC power, which is specifically activated for
measurement of pH or uric acid using on enzymatic activation
associated to the sensor surface chemistry. The electrochemical
sensor provides varying DC current level as an output which
varies as per the detected concentration level of uric acid or pH.
The uric acid is detected by an enzymatic sensor that consumes
about 24 μW and the pH level of the wound fluid is detected
by a zero-power non-enzymatic sensor. The VCO, consuming
6 mW of power, converts the DC signal to a unique frequency by
using the voltage dependent frequency operation of the VCO,
thus providing a frequency signal associated to the biomarker.An
empirical relation between the amperometric current output
from the sensor unit and the uric acid concentration (CU A ) is
found to be
iF eedback (μA) = 6.234 + 0.338 × log2 (0.985 × CU A ) (1)

Fig. 3. Proposed versatile sensory, self-powered smart bandage. (Top): Fin-

Corresponding voltage at the output (which is also the input of
ished prototype of the bandage. (Bottom): Function of power receiver, rectifier, the VCO block) is given by
sensor, VSO and antenna blocks.  
Vtuning (V ) = 2.175 + 0.105 × log2 0.235 × (CU A )0.205 .
(2)
The VCO uses the DC current level (converted into a voltage
level through a resister) as input and provides a frequency
modulated (FM) signal in the range of 800 MHz–1700 MHz.
Being an RF signal (not a DC signal) this FM output can be easily
transmitted wirelessly, using antennas of reasonable size to an
external processing unit (remote receiver). A dipole antenna, as
shown in Fig. 3 right, is used for transmitting the output from
the smart-bandage.

Fig. 4. Simulated reflection coefficient and impedance of the proposed corru- C. The Telemetry Link and Wound Assessment
gated crossed-dipole (X-shaped): (a) S11 , (b) Input impedance.
The output of the dipole antenna wirelessly connects the
wound data to the external kiosk, completing the wireless
RF-power in the near-zone, we use an X-shaped (realized by telemetry link. For long distance communication, the modulated
a 450 -rotation of the traditional cross-shaped) resonant dipole, wound data can be transferred to a local hub that sends the info
which represents a modified form of the anchor shaped antenna to a hospital, a doctor’s office or a local medical center. The
that was proposed in [30]. The selected antenna shape exhibits concentration level of uric acid and pH level are interpreted
polarization diversity in the near field due to four orthogonal based on the peak frequency of the signal spectrum in the 800
arms. In addition, this shape is also responsible for misalign- to 1700 MHz range. (1) For the case of uric acid concentration
ment resilience in lateral or rotational directions due to a larger estimation, the acid concentration is compared to the threshold
footprint and symmetry in E and H planes. This unit can be mark of 0.4 mM to asses the wound severity [10]. For uric
integrated into kiosks, patient beds, or handheld interrogators as acid levels with concentration above the 0.4-mM threshold, the
shown in the Fig. 3. wound is said to be severe. For lower concentrations, the would
is said to be healing. These concentration levels correspond to a
unique frequency peak in the spectrum of the signal transmitted
B. Smart-Bandage Unit
to the kiosk. (2) Using the pH level, based on the acidity or
This unit consists of a textile-based X-shaped receiving an- basicity of the wound fluid, the severity of wound healing process
tenna to receive the RF power from interrogator unit, allow for can be monitored. Indeed, for pH level ranging from 5 to 5.5, the
RF-to-DC conversion using an textile integrated rectifier unit wound is said to be epithelial or healed and for pH level beyond
that converts the received RF signal into DC and thus provide 7, it is said to be severe or non-healing. Like the UA-assessment,
988 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

each pH level corresponds to a unique frequency peaks and

then interpretation of the pH level is made. For quick and
reliable assessment, an empirical equation is developed for both
electrochemical sensing schemes, as discussed in Section IV.

III. SYSTEM COMPONENTS FOR SKINAID, ENABLING

BATTERY-FREE BIOTELEMETRY
A. Near Field Wireless Power Transfer Using
Fabric-Integrated Corrugated Crossed-Dipole Antenna
Wireless power to the smart bandage is provided through a
near field RF link using a new misalignment resilient antenna
configuration. Here, we propose the use of X-shaped dipole
antenna, which is a variant of recently proposed misalignment
resilient anchor-shaped antenna [37] that demonstrated an im-
proved power transfer efficiency for practical scenarios as further
demonstrated in [38]. In this type of antenna, the improvement
in misalignment resiliency occurs by using both, the inductive Fig. 5. Design and modeling of the proposed corrugated crossed-dipole: (a)
and the capacitive electromagnetic couplings between the re- HFSS design model, (b) simulated and theoretical resonant frequency as a
function of the number of corrugations, and (c) simulated reflection coefficient
ceiver and transmitter antennas, which allows power transfer at resonant frequency with changing number of corrugations.
in different extents of misalignment [37]. However, since the
original anchor-shaped design lacks symmetry to establish sim-
ilarity between the vertical and horizontal (X and Y axes, Z and w is the width of the corrugation. w depends on the dielectric
being the normal to plane of article) misalignments, as well of the substrate. Frequency scaling of the proposed design can
as the rotational (elevation and azimuthal) misalignments, a be established through the equation below
new X-shaped dipole is used in this work. This misalignment
π×c
resilience is important in real-life settings because the antenna foperating (M Hz) = . (3)
is aimed at being used in a smart bandage to be worn by a patient 22 × 106 × N × w
susceptible to all the types of misalignments mentioned above. In this work, the value of N and w were chosen to be 15 and
Before system integration, the X-shaped antenna is designed 5.51 mm, respectively. This yields an operating frequency of
and its return loss and power transfer efficiency performance are around 500 MHz. Next, we evaluated the RF performance of
measured under different misalignment scenarios. These results the antenna by placing a transmitter and a receiver operating at
are discussed in the up-coming sections. the same frequency and misaligned them laterally, diagonally,
1) Design Optimization of X-Shaped Antenna: The antenna and angularly.
was designed and simulated using HFSS (version R2) and the de- 2) Effects of Misalignment on the Power Transmission: In
sign parameters are listed in Table II. PEC boundary conditions Fig. 6 the PTE performance under misalignment is shown.
were assigned to the conductive traces of Elektrisola-7 (con- Several cases of misalignment are considered with different
ductive) threads embroidered onto gauze fabric. We expected degrees of freedoms, such as rotational and lateral. Fractional
some reasonable losses that were reflected in the measurement power transfer efficiency (similar to shown in [30]) is reported
results (see Fig. 6) as was the case in our previously published by measurement of |S21 | as shown in the figure. For lateral
work [24]. An airbox (open region) was used to emulate free misalignment performance along the X-axis, a |S21 | of 0.6 to
space radiation, and a lumped port of 50 Ohms was assigned to 0.8 is observed when the misalignment is in the range of 1 cm
each antenna’s excitation port. The model consisted of 4 arms to 10 cm. This is due to the fact that the EM fields spanned
with a series of pixelated steps referred to as “corrugations” and coupled away from the aperture. For lateral misalignment
starting from 5 to 100 each. The arms are flared out making an performance along the Y-axis, a |S21 | of 0.6 to 0.7 is observed
angle  ≈ 90◦ . This is to establish symmetry across the two axes from 1 cm to 10 cm. These values are similar to those of the
in the aperture of the antenna. The frequency of the antenna is misalignment along the X-axis. This is due to the fact that the
dictated by the size of the each arm, i.e. by the number of cor- topology creates a symmetry in the design. For the diagonal
rugations. Fig. 5(a) shows the close-up of the antenna, Fig. 5(b) misalignment, the Rx and Tx are misaligned from distances
represents the resonant frequency as a function of the number equal to the euclidean distance between X and Y with same
of corrugations and Fig. 5(c) shows the reflection coefficient at values. An average |S21 | of 0.6 is obtained for distances ranging
the resonant frequency as a function of the number of steps. A from 1.4 cm to 14.14 cm. The stabilization in the result is another
fitting curve was developed to facilitate quick simulation model confirmation of the symmetry created in the design model. For
using the number of and the size of the step that depends on the angular misalignments elevational and azimuthal, an average
substrate used. Equation (3) was empirically obtained, plotted |S21 | of 0.5 is obtained and the similarity in the results for
in Fig. 5(c), and compared with the simulation result. In this both misalignment schemes further justifies the effects of the
equation, c is the speed of light, N is the number of corrugations, symmetry.
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 989

TABLE I
SUMMARY OF MISALIGNMENT TYPES, ALONG WITH THEIR TRANSFER DISTANCES, ANGLES, AND OPERATING FREQUENCIES

Fig. 7. Misalignment tests for the proposed antenna when subject to bending
(Rcurvature = 36 mm) and misalignments: (a) Illustration of bending scenario
and misalignment along Y, (b) illustration of bending scenario and misalignment
along X, (c) and (d) power transfer performance corresponding to misalignment
is achieved along the Y and X axes, respectively.

the Tx and Rx are misaligned. In all measured data, we find

agreement with full-wave simulations, confirming our design
approach and measurement data. For all the misalignment cases,
Fig. 6. Misalignment tests for the proposed antenna at broadside and when the reflection coefficient values were −6 dB or better.
subject to misalignments: (a) power transfer performance at broadside and
(b)–(f) performance when the transmitter and receiver are misalignment with C. Fabrication
respect to the X-axis, the Y-axis, diagonally (measurement is not reported due to
absence of testing setup), with respect to the elevational and azimuthal angles, The antenna prototypes were fabricated using fabric sub-
respectively.
strates where the metalized regions were realized using embroi-
dery of conductive metal thread similar to prior works [24], [38].

B. Effects of Bending on the Power Transmission D. Textile-Integrated Rectifying Circuit

To test the flexibility of the antenna, we studied the power Fig. 8 shows chosen circuit configuration, fabricated proto-
transfer performance when it is subject to bending (mechanical type and associated test set-up for the RF to DC conversion cir-
deformation) and misaligned along the X and Y axes. The radius cuit utilized for the proposed smart bandage. Due to challenges
of the curvature was chosen to be 36 mm, which is the average of flexible integration, the circuit should be of minimum number
radius of human’s wrist. The simulation results in Fig. 7 showed of lumped components, and yet provide the required high power
an average |S21 | of 0.7 and 0.65 where the misalignment is conversion efficiency. An ideal circuit for such applications was
achieved along the Y and the X axes, respectively. On average, earlier demonstrated by the authors [38], where single diode
this performance is similar to the ones mentioned above. This based rectifier using microstrip-line based inductive/capacitive
is again a justification of the effects of the symmetry within elements has shown more than 50 % conversion efficiency. Using
the antenna. The performance of the new presented antenna is this topology, a new circuit is optimized, fabricated and tested
summarized in Table I. In summary, the X-shaped symmetrical for an operational frequency of 500 MHz to match with RF
antenna allows a stable power transmission performance when power transfer frequency. The circuit is shown in Fig. 8, and is
990 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

[38] were used for the realization of the fabric integrated rectifier
circuit. The RF-to-DC conversion efficiency was simulated and
tested at 500 MHz. It was found that at 26 dBm input power, the
rectifier shows peak efficiency of 76% for RF to DC conversion,
and the corresponding output DC-voltage is 10 V. This efficiency
value is better than or similar to recently published rectifying
circuit designs [38]. The optimization of the circuit was done to
match the required power and voltage requirements for the VCO
and electrochemical sensor. The performance of the rectifier
remained the same when was subject to bending at a radius
of 85 mm. This result was consistent with that of the work
proposed in [39]. Next, we discuss the sensing by looking at
the electrochemical sensors as presented next.

E. Electrochemical Sensor Design and Fabrication

1) Uric Acid Sensor:
r Design and fabrication: The uric acid flexible sensors were
fabricated in-house on wound dressings using a multilayer
screen-printing approach. Conductive Ag/AgCl and carbon
inks were screen-printed sequentially onto a thermoplastic
polyurethane (TPU) film and cured at 80 ◦ C for 15 min
following each print. The carbon ink was used for the
fabrication of working and counter electrodes, while the
Ag/AgCl ink served as the reference electrode. The TPU
film with the printed sensors was then heat laminated over
a wound dressing followed by a protective TPU encapsu-
lation layer to define the working area and the electrode
pads of the sensor.
r Immobilization: The working electrode of the uric acid
sensor was functionalized with nanomaterials and enzymes
specific for uric acid detection. Multiwalled carbon nan-
otubes (2 μl, 5 mg/ml) were first drop-casted and dried
Fig. 8. Textile-based rectifying circuit: (a) experimental setup, (b) the cor- at 70 ◦ C. This was followed by drop casting and drying
responding circuit model, (c) the finished product, (d) and (e) characterization (@ 70 ◦ C) of gold nanoparticle solution (1 μl, OD = 50).
results of the rectifying circuit: RF-to-DC conversion efficiency and Collected
DC voltage, respectively. The horseradish peroxidase (2 μl, 5 mg/ml), and uricase
enzyme (2 μl, 5 mg/ml), were then immobilized over the
electrode by drop-casting and air drying.
described as following. The first λ/8-microstrip line is used as a r Characterization: The electrochemical current response of
bandpass filter. The second λ/8-microstrip, which is shorted, is the fabricated sensors toward uric acid was determined in a
used after the diode stage to introduce an inductive effect equal range of 0 to 720 μM through amperometric measurements
in magnitude to the capacitive effect provided by capacitive at a working potential of -0.6 V. An increase in the current
packaging of the diode. The two λ/8-microstrip lines on the was observed with an increasing concentration of uric acid
either side of the diode provide a quarter wave resonance due to (Fig. 1(a)). The sensitivity of the sensor was found to be
shorted end, such that the maxima lies at the position of the diode, −3.0 nA/μM (R2 = 0.99), showing the potential of the
thus allowing full wave rectification at the resonant frequency. sensor to accurately measure uric acid in the clinically
This allows greater than 50% efficiency for the rectifier circuit. relevant range like previously developed sensors published
A DC block capacitor C1 = 10 pF is added, a capacitor C2 in [40].
=3.9 pF was placed in parallel with the HSMS2820-diode for 2) pH Sensor:
proving a matching with 50-Ω RF-input. The 33-μH inductor r Immobilization: The working electrode of the pH sensor
along with the third λ/8-stub were used to remove the ripples was immobilized by electrodeposition of an electrically
from the output waveform. conductive polymer, polyaniline. Polyaniline (PANI) was
Rectifier model was based on full-wave simulation and deposited on the working electrode by cyclic voltammetry
non-linear model for the lumped components by using ADS by sweeping the potential from −0.2 to 1 V at a scan rate
simulation tool, and the prototype was fabricated using embroi- of 100 mV/s for 20 cycles.
dery of Elektrisola-7 electrical metal fiber onto gauze fabric (as r Characterization: The electrochemical response of the pH
shown in Fig. 8(c)). Processes developed in prior works [24], sensors was recorded using open circuit potential (OCP)
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 991

TABLE II
SUMMARY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS AND DIMENSIONS OF THE ANTENNA AND
RF MODULES/CIRCUITS

Fig. 9. Textile-based voltage control oscillator: (a) experimental setup, (b) the
corresponding circuit model, (c) the finished product, (d) and (e) characterization
results of the rectifying circuit: RF-to-DC conversion efficiency and Collected
DC voltage, respectively.

voltage is empirically given by

  
2C1
fV CO (MHz) = 836 × 1 + a sin h × VCT RL .
C2
(4)
measurements using buffer solutions (pH = 4.0–12.0). The The tuning voltage emulates the sensor output, which contains
PANI deposited electrodes were dipped into the buffer the wound-health information in the form of uric acid concen-
solutions and OCP readings were carried out for 60 s. tration or pH level as supplied from the electrochemical sensor.
Owing to the deprotonation of polyaniline in alkaline (1) For wound fluid emulated using different uric acid (UA)
buffers, the OCP of the sensor decreased as the pH of samples, the output of the sensor is a current signal whose values
the buffer increased (Fig. 2(a)). The sensitivity of the pH were between 5.357 μA and 6.286 μA and the empirical model
sensor was found to be 62.6 ± 3.26 mV/pH (Fig. 2(b)). is represented by the (1). A 350-kΩ resistor was placed across
Furthermore, the sensors showed good repeatability for the leads of the sensor to convert that current into a changing
successive measurements of pH in buffer solutions. voltage for the modulation. The VCO was powered by a power
management circuit that features a voltage divider to share
the output DC voltage with the VCO and the electrochemical
F. Textile-Integrated Voltage-Controlled Oscillator UA-sensor. (2) For the wound fluid emulated by different pH
To remotely access the wound-data information, a textile- solutions, a zero-power sensor was used (without the use of a
based modulation circuit to modulate and transmit the corre- power management circuit) and the sensor output was a variable
sponding data was employed. The design parameters of the voltage ranging from 0 to 1 V. The voltage was then used by
modulation circuit, along with preceding components such as the VCO for frequency conversion and modulation. The system
rectifier and antenna is shown in Table II. As the output of the integration and measurement are presented in the next section.
electrochemical sensor is DC, there is a need to convert it into RF
for feasible wireless transmission. Therefore the idea of using a IV. SMART BANDAGE INTEGRATION AND DEMONSTRATIONS
voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is required for this project. The proposed smart bandage was developed by integration
The VCO’s output frequency is tuned with the output voltage of various components that are shown in the prior Sections.
from the sensor and will convert it into a frequency signal that This demonstration is conducted in two steps. In the first step,
is transmittable through a wireless link to a remote receiver. a preliminary bench-top set-up was established to illustrate the
Fig. 9 shows the characterization results of the VCO. The VCO, frequency modulation of sensor data along with the wireless
along with required lumped elements was integrated on the telemetry function. In the second step, fully functional wireless
textile surface where embroidery of Elektrisola-7 unto gauze power and data-telemetry links were demonstrated along with
fabric was used and a COTS Crystek CVCO055BE integrated sensor and data-modulation functions on a textile substrate.
circuit was soldered with two capacitors C1 = 1 nF and C2 =
10 nF to smoothly modulate the output signal. The VCO was
A. VCO Based Frequency Modulation and Wireless Link
characterized with input voltages (VCT RL ) ranging from 0 V to
Demonstration
6 V and this selected range is based on (2), which provides the
voltage output from the VCO block. The relation between the The first step involved is shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 top
frequency output of the VCO block as a function of the control shows the blocks involved in this experiment. The goal of the
992 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

Fig. 10. Bench-top experiment for data modulation and return wireless link.
Top: System block diagram of the experimental setup for data-modulation and
wireless data telemetry functions. Bottom: Desk-top bench set-up to illustrate
the system with D = 25 cm distance for the data telemetry link.

experiment is to illustrate (1) sensor function to detect uric

acid concentration level and provide an amperometric DC data
into the radio frequency signal, and (2) wireless telemetry link
to send spectrum to external signal analysis unit. To illustrate
these points, in this first step, we simplify the wireless power
transfer by using wired RF power supply, rectification, power
management to provide power to the system.
A Keysight E36312 A DC power supply was used to drive a
TI BQ25504 power management circuit that provided DC power
from RF source after rectification, and the power was split using
a voltage divider (through resistors R1 , R2 ). The split power
outputs were respectively fed to electrochemical tri-electrode
sensor and a voltage controlled oscillator, respectively. The
wound fluid is emulated by having UA modal solution. The Fig. 11. Wound assessment using uric acid as bio-modulator: (a) modulated
spectra captured from different wound fluids emulated by chemical solutions
tri-electrode sensor was dipped and output was provided to tex- with uric acid concentrations and (b) wirelessly received response (measured
tile integrated VCO to modulate the sensor output, and a pair of values) for different concentrations of uric acid in the wound fluid during the
transmitter/receiver PCB-patch antennas operating at 915 MHz bench-top experiment.
were used for telemetry link. The remote wireless receiver is a
Keysight PXA spectrum analyzer which displays the frequency This equation yields a sensing resolution of 48.45 MHz/mM.
spectrum of the received signal. We tested uric acid samples with This sensing resolution, as a function of the variable input
concentrations varying from 0.2 mM to 1.2 mM and the output of voltage of the VCO can be controlled by changing the resistance
the sensor was fed to a 350-kΩ load (R3 in Fig. 10(a)) to provide value of R3 in Fig. 10. The integration of the bandage, wireless
voltage output in a range of 1.875 V to 2.2 V. This is shown in power and data-telemetry modalities is presented next.
Fig. 11. We observed associated frequency shift in the VCO
output as shown in the figure as well. The normalized spectra B. Fully Integrated Textile Based Smart Bandage With
are shown in Fig. 11(a) where the signal spectrum changed Wireless Power and Telemetry
for different uric acid concentration values. The corresponding
frequency change for the signals ranged from 1089 MHz to With preliminary data which supported the VCO based mod-
1120 MHz. As mentioned in [10], for UA concentrations below ulation and wireless link approach, we next developed the textile
0.4 mM, the wound is healing. That means, the wound is healing integrated system with functionality of wireless power, sensing,
when the remote receiver displays signals whose frequencies data-modulation and telemetry link. The developed prototype
are between 1089 MHz and 1106 MHz. By the same token, is shown in Fig. 3. The experimental set-up to demonstrate
the wound is severe when the UA concentration is more than the performance of the smart bandage is shown in Fig. 12.
0.4 mM, which means the received signals are of frequencies The proposed smart bandage was powered through near-field
greater than 1106 MHz. For assessment, an empirical equation antennas connected to RF sources and positioned in the vicinity
is also developed which allows us to relate measured frequency of the reciever antenna. For demonstration, we used integration
with UA concentration by the a priori knowledge of the equation. of RF source antenna into bedsheet through embroidery of con-
ductive fiber, and the design was again based on the corrugated-X
fU A (MHz) = 1121.256 + 12.365 × log2 (0.965 × (CU A )) . shaped dipole embroidered onto gauze fabric. A practical wound
(5) monitoring scenario was emulated as shown in Fig. 12. The
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 993

Fig. 12. “In-Vitro” experimental setting for the complete wirelessly powered
smart system emulating a bedridden patient with the bandage on the left leg for
wound assessment.

novel antenna topology (see Fig. 5) exhibited high power transfer

efficiency and resilience to all types of misalignments such as
lateral, angular, and diagonal, as shown in Fig. 6(a)–(f). At
6 inches from the bed was the bandage (shown in Fig. 3),
represented by a receiving corrugated-X-shaped dipole antenna
as seen in Fig. 5, a rectifying circuit exhibiting an RF-to-DC
conversion efficiency of 76% at 400 mW (26 dBm) of input RF
power.
In addition to that, a non-enzymatic pH sensor was used and
dipped into the wound fluid emulated by standard pH Sigma-
Aldrich solutions bought from MilliporeSigma. The solutions
ranged from pH = 2 to 10, a VCO tuned from 0 to 1 V to output an
RF modulated signal with spectrum with peak frequency ranging
Fig. 13. Wound assessment using pH as bio-modulator: (a) modulated spectra
from 836 MHz to 950 MHz, and a 915-MHz textile dipole to send captured from different wound fluids emulated by chemical solutions with
the modulated signal wirelessly to a spectrum analyzer placed various pHs and (b) plot showing the acidic and basic limits corresponding
more than 6 feet away from the mannequin. Longer ranges to the wound remission and chronicity.
can be achieved by using a long range antenna (LoRA). The
textile based transmitting and receiving antennas were designed
and fabricated to operate around 500 MHz (see Table I). The of the system, we followed the guidelines provided by the the
conductive threads were embroidered onto a gauze-substrate International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protec-
backed with sticky stabilizer with a dielectric constant,  = 1.67 tion (ICNIRP) [41] for a limit of 1.475 mW/cm2 considering
and a loss tangent tanδ = 0.07. The antenna had a footprint of our highest frequency. The transmitting RF power provided
17 cm × 17 cm (0.366λg × 0.366λg ) where λg is the guided from the bedsheet was 1 W, which was chosen within the FCC
wavelength. Our experimental results suggested that, using pH and FDA requirements. This power level is needed to drive the
solutions ranging from 2 to 10, the frequency modulation would COTS VCO. However, the concept can be scaled down in power
be between 800 and 830 MHz (see Fig. 13). As per the guidelines if a customized RFIC/system-on-chip (SoC)/system-in-package
provided in [8] for wound monitoring, when the pH is less than (SiP) is considered. Furthermore, the size of the antenna can
7, the wound is healing. That means, when the frequency is be scaled down as well as the frequency of operation using
between 810 MHz and 830 MHz, the wound is healing and for the strongly coupled magnetic resonance method [42] already
frequencies lower than 810 MHz, the wound is severe. For quick implemented on textiles by Bao et al. [43] for highly efficient
and reliable assessment, an empirical model was developed and wireless power transfer systems. The area of the receiver was
shown in calculated by taking the area on the mannequin’s leg where the
 π  bandage was located. The radius of the mannequin’s leg was
fpH (MHz) = 830 × 1 − × a sin h (pH − 2) . (6) found to be Rleg = 8.5 cm and the received power density was
251
This theoretical model corresponds to a sensing resolution evaluated using the equation below
of 3.375 MHz/pH, which can be further controlled by using a Pinc
high-input-voltage VCO circuit. As for the power requirement Prec (mW/cm2 ) = × (|S21 |2 ) (7)
Arec
994 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

TABLE III
COMPARISON WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SMART BANDAGES USED FOR WOUND MONITORING/SENSING AND HEALING

where Pinc = 1 W is the incident power and the Arec = a simplistic footprint. The proposed approach therefore pro-
π × Rleg × hbandage = π × 8.5 cm × 17 cm = 454 cm2 . Re- vides an all-textile, battery-less, and wireless smart bandage
placing these values back to the (7) combined with the highest approach that can be used to continuously monitor the healing
value of |S21 | from Fig. 6, the received power density will process of chronic wounds in real-time. Its comparison with
be at most 1.41 mW/cm2 for misalignments of up to 10 cm. state-of-the-art smart bandages using uric acid, lactate, NaCl,
The setup is therefore compliant with the ICNIRP as the space glucose, and pH modulation can be found in Table III , which
between the bandage and the bed was 15.24 cm (6 inches), which shows that proposed method is the only RFID (back-scatter-
would indicate a much lower |S21 |. The SAR calculations from type) modality which also maintains selectivity and specificity
prior experiment [38] also apply here and is in compliance with of the sensor data. The system can be used for any type of
ICNIRP. chemical sensing by choosing appropriate chemical agent at
In summary, the RFID-modality based electrochemical sens- the sensor surface. In addition, the proposed smart bandage
ing system is proposed and features: 1) an input radio frequency can be powered by any transmitting source placed on the
signal from a transmitting antenna embedded into a bed sheet, floor, ceiling, bench, hallway, bed, wheelchair, and chair, mak-
2) an electrochemical data collection with a tri-electrode uric ing the system’s architecture more versatile compared to the
acid and pH sensors, 3) an in-situ, analog modulation of the state-of-the-art.
sensor-data into a radio frequency signal for transmission to a Given the possibility of miniaturizing the antenna, rectify-
remote receiver, 4) the emulation and demonstration of real-life ing circuit, sensor platform, and frequency modulation using a
scenario representing a bedridden patient with the bandage system-on-chip or system-in-package, this system can be used
of his leg, and 5) a novel approach allowing the elimination in future 5G/6G communication links where data telemetry can
of ICs for RF transceivers, microprocessors and thus offering be done using a modulation system achieving high data rate
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 995

using FSK mm-wave wireless system [45]. For reduced exter- by the textile-integration of reduced electronic achieving direct
nal required power, the strongly coupled magnetic resonance frequency modulation.
method can be used to model micro- or nanoscale antennas for
high-efficiency mm-wave wireless power transceivers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
C. Secondary Applications The authors would like to thank Malcom Taaffe for his help
The proposed system demonstrates full-fabric integration and in prototyping the PCB-based dipole antennas.
modulation of wound-health data for quick and reliable assess-
ment. It can also be used to evaluate the status of the transient
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“Design and implementation of electro-textile ground planes for wearable
UHF RFID patch tag antennas,” IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., Dieff Vital (Member, IEEE) was born in Torbeck
vol. 12, pp. 964–967, 2013. located in the South of Haiti. He received the B.Sc.
[29] J. Pei, J. Fan, and R. Zheng, “Protecting wearable UHF RFID tags with degree (summa cum laude) in mechanical and in-
electro-textile antennas: The challenge of machine washability,” IEEE dustrial engineering from Florida Polytechnic Uni-
Antennas Propag. Mag., vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 43–50, Aug. 2021. versity, Lakeland, FL, USA, in 2017, and the Ph.D.
[30] D. Vital and S. Bhardwaj, “Misalignment resilient anchor-shaped antennas degree in electrical and computer engineering from
in near-field wireless power transfer using electric and magnetic coupling Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA,
modes,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 2513–2521, in 2021. Since 2021, he has been a Bridge-to-the-
May 2021. Faculty Scholar with the Department of Electrical
[31] Y. Y. Xiao, Z.-X. Du, and X. Y. Zhang, “High-efficiency rectifier with wide and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois-
input power range based on power recycling,” IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Chicago (UIC), Chicago, IL, USA, exploring areas
II, Exp. Briefs, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 744–748, Jun. 2018. such as microwave sensing of the gut microbiome, fabric-based modulation for
[32] P. Wu, X. Chen, H. Lin, and C. Liu, “High-efficiency rectifier with wide smart bandages, and electromagnetics-on-textiles. In 2023, he will assume the
input power rage based on a small capacitor in parallel with the diode,” in position of Assistant Professor with the same department with UIC. He has
Proc. IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp., 2019, pp. 1316–1319. authored or coauthored more than 30 journal and conference papers covering a
[33] X. Y. Zhang, Z.-X. Du, and Q. Xue, “High-efficiency broadband rectifier range of topics, including textile-based wireless power transfer, and continuous
with wide ranges of input power and output load based on branch-line and smart health monitoring solutions. In addition, Dr. Vital is credited as
coupler,” IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. I, Regular Papers, vol. 64, no. 3, a co-inventor on five awarded/pending patents. His research interests include
pp. 731–739, Mar. 2017. optimizing embroidery processes, developing high-performance RF structures
[34] J. Liu, X. Y. Zhang, and C.-L. Yang, “Analysis and design of dual-band for clothing items, and creating novel microwave sensors for chronic wound
rectifier using novel matching network,” IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. II, Exp. monitoring and infectious diseases.
Briefs, vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 431–435, Apr. 2018. He was the recipient of several prestigious awards and fellowships throughout
[35] A. Eid, J. G. Hester, J. Costantine, Y. Tawk, A. H. Ramadan, and M. his academic journey. These include the Florida Academy of Sciences Al Hall
M. Tentzeris, “A compact source–load agnostic flexible rectenna topol- Memorial Award for Best Poster and Excellent Academic Achievement, the
ogy for IoT devices,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 68, no. 4, McKnight Dissertation Fellowship, FIU Fall 2018 Student Conference Award,
pp. 2621–2629, Apr. 2020. and the International Microwave Symposium (IMS2019)/RFIC2019 Ph.D. Stu-
[36] S. Y. Zheng, S. H. Wang, K. W. Leung, W. S. Chan, and M. H. Xia, dent Sponsorship. He also was the recipient of the 2019 U.S. National Committee
“A high-efficiency rectifier with ultra-wide input power range based on for the International Union of Radio Science (USNC-URSI) Travel Fellowship,
cooperative structure,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., vol. 67, no. 11, the National Science Foundation (NSF) student travel grant, the NSF IEEE
pp. 4524–4533, Nov. 2019. RFIC’20 Student Conference Registration Award, the McKnight Fellowship
[37] D. Vital and S. Bhardwaj, “Misalignment resilient anchor-shaped antennas Travel Grant, and a 2022 APS Fellowship for postdocs. In addition, Dr. Vital’s
in near-field wireless power transfer using electric and magnetic coupling accomplishments extend to competition wins, including Third Place in the
modes,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 2513–2521, IMS2019 Student Design Competition, honorable mentions in the IMS2019 and
May 2021. IMS2020 3MT Competitions, and Second Place in the Best Paper Competition
[38] D. Vital, P. Gaire, S. Bhardwaj, and J. L. Volakis, “An ergonomic wireless at the IEEE RFID-TA 2022.
charging system for integration with daily life activities,” IEEE Trans. Dr. Vital actively participates in various IEEE technical committees, including
Microw. Theory Techn., vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 947–954, Jan. 2021. MTT-TC 26 for RFID, wireless sensors, and IoT, MTT-TC 28 for Biological
[39] D. Vital, S. Bhardwaj, and J. L. Volakis, “Bending and twisting tests for Effects and Medical applications, the IEEE APS Best Paper Award Committee,
RF performances of textile transmission lines,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. the IEEE APS Education Committee, IEEE IMS 2022 & 2023, IEEE APS/URSI
Antennas Propag. USNC-URSI Radio Sci. Meeting, 2019, pp. 2173–2174. 2022 & 2023, IEEE IMBioC 2023, and IEEE RTC 2022. He is a reviewer for
[40] P. Bhushan et al., “Biosensor for monitoring uric acid in wound and prestigious journals, including IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS
its proximity: A potential wound diagnostic tool,” J. Electrochem. Soc., AND SYSTEMS, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, IEEE
vol. 166, no. 10, 2019, Art. no. B830. TRANSACTIONS ON COMPONENTS, PACKAGING, AND MANUFACTURING TECH-
[41] ICNIRP, “ICNIRP guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic NOLOGY, IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS, IEEE
fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz),” Health Phys., vol. 118, no. 5, pp. 483–524, INTERNET OF THINGS JOURNAL, Applied Energy Elsevier, Journal of Applied
2020. Physics, IEEE Microwave Magazine, and Scientific Reports.
VITAL et al.: SKINAID: A WIRELESSLY POWERED SMART DRESSING SOLUTION FOR CONTINUOUS WOUND-TRACKING 997

Pulak Bhushan (Member, IEEE) received the B.S. Vladimir Pozdin (Member, IEEE) was born in Lviv,
and M.S. degrees from the Asian Institute of Tech- Ukraine, in 1984. He received the Ph.D. degree in
nology, Thailand, in 2015, and the Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering from Cornell Uni-
electrical and computer engineering from Florida versity, Ithaca, NY, USA, in 2011. Since 2020, he has
International University, Miami, FL, USA, in 2021. been an Assistant Professor with Electrical and Com-
Her research interests include development of flexible puter Engineering Department, Florida International
electrochemical sensors for long-term biomolecule University, Miami, FL, USA. His research interests
detection in healthcare applications and addressing include flexible electronics, health monitoring sys-
mass transport limitations in in vivo environments. tems, and microphysiological systems.
She is involved in the design of organic materials
for wearable electronic systems. She has contributed
more than 15 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Pawan Gaire (Graduate Student Member, IEEE)

received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering John L. Volakis (Life Fellow, IEEE) was born on
(summa cum laude) from Howard University, Wash- May 13, 1956 in Chios, Greece and immigrated
ington, DC, USA, in 2019. He is currently working to the USA in 1973. He received the B.E. degree,
toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering with (summa cum laude) from Youngstown State Univ.,
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, Youngstown, Ohio, in 1978, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D.
USA. From 2019 to 2022, he was a Research As- degrees from The Ohio State University, Columbus,
sistant with Florida International University, Miami, OH, USA, in 1979 and 1982, respectively.
FL, USA, where he developed wireless power transfer He started his career with Rockwell International
system in radiative near field. His research interests (1982–1984), now Boeing. In 1984, he was appointed
include microwave circuits, miniature multiferroic an Assistant Professor with The University of Michi-
antennas, and computational electromagnetics. gan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, becoming a full Professor
in 1994. From 1998 to 2000, he also was the Director of the Radiation Laboratory.
From January 2003 to August 2017 he was the Roy and Lois Chope Chair
Professor of engineering with Ohio State University, and from 2003 to 2016,
with the Director of the ElectroScience Laboratory. Since August 2017, he has
been the Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing and a Professor
with the Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University,
Miami, FL, USA.
Md Khadimul Islam (Graduate Student Member, Over the years, he carried out pioneering research in electromagnetics (EM),
IEEE) was born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, in 1992. RF materials and metamaterials, antennas and phased array, RF transceivers,
He received the B.S. degree in electrical and elec- textile electronics, millimeter waves and terahertz, EMI/EMC as well as EM
tronic engineering from the Rajshahi University of diffraction and computational methods. He is also the authors of nine books,
Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, including the Antenna Handbook, referred to as the Antenna Bible. He has
in 2015, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering authored or coauthored 450 journal articles, nearly 1000 conference papers,
from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas more than 30 chapters, and more than 30 patents/disclosures. His research team
City, MO, USA, in 2019. He is currently working is recognized for introducing and/or developing, hybrid finite element methods
toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer for microwave engineering, now widely used in commercial RF design packages,
engineering with Florida International University, novel composite materials for antennas and sensor miniaturization, a new class
Miami, FL, USA. He has experience working with of wideband conformal antennas and arrays with over 30:1 of contiguous
LM Ericsson and Nokia Bell Labs in 2016 and 2022, respectively. His research bandwidth, referred to as tightly coupled dipole antennas, textile surfaces for
interests include applied electromagnetics, mmwave antennas and beam steering wearable electronics and sensors, battery-less and wireless medical implants
systems, phased arrays, and RF systems. for non-invasive brain signal collection, diffraction coefficients for material
coated edges, and for model-scaled radar scattering verification methods. He has
graduated/mentored 105 doctoral students/post-docs with 43 of them receiving
best paper awards at conferences.
His service to Professional Societies include: 2004 President of the IEEE
Antennas and Propagation Society (2004), Chair of USNC/URSI Commission
B during 2015–2017, Chair of URSI Commission B (international), twice
the General Chair of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Symposium, IEEE
Shashikant Lahade (Graduate Student Member, APS Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE APS Fellows Committee Chair, IEEE-wide
IEEE) received the B.E. degree in electronics and Fellows committee member & Associate Editor of several journals. He was
telecommunication engineering from Amravati Uni- listed by ISI among the top 250 most referenced authors in 2004, AAAS, NAI,
versity, Amravati, India, in 2010, and the M.S. degree URSI, and ACES. Among his awards are: The Univ. of Michigan College of
in electrical engineering from Florida International Engineering Research Excellence Award in 1993, Scott Award from The Ohio
University, Miami, FL, USA in 2021. He is currently State Univ. College of Engineering for Outstanding Academic Achievement in
working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engi- 2011, IEEE AP Society C-T. Tai Teaching Excellence Award in 2011, IEEE Hen-
neering with the University of Notre Dame, Notre ning Mentoring Award in 2013, IEEE Antennas & Propagation Distinguished
Dame, IN, USA. His research interests include the Achievement award in 2014, The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar
design of wearable diffuse optical spectroscopy de- Award in 2016, and The Ohio State Univ. ElectroScience George Sinclair Award
vices, with a focus on biomedical applications. in 2017, and URSI Booker Gold Medal in 2020.
998 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 17, NO. 5, OCTOBER 2023

Shekhar Bhansali (Fellow, IEEE) received the Ph.D. Shubhendu Bhardwaj (Member, IEEE) received
degree in electrical engineering with RMIT Univer- the B.Tech. degree in electronics engineering from
sity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. He is currently a Lu- the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School
cent Technologies CALA Distinguished University of Mines), (IIT) (ISM)-Dhanbad, Dhanbad, India,
Professor with the Florida International University in 2004, and the M.S. degree from the University
(FIU), Miami, FL, USA, and was the Director of of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of in 2012, and the Ph.D. degree from The Ohio State
Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems for University, Columbus, OH, USA, in 2017. From 2008
two years. He was a Researcher with the University to 2010, he was with Samsung India Software Oper-
of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA, and with the ations, Bangalore, India, and the graduation (summa
National Research Laboratory of Metrology in Japan. cum laude) degree from IIT (ISM)-Dhanbad. He is
He was nine years as the Department Chair with FIU, and two years as the Interim currently an Assistant Professor with the Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Enterprise Engineering. He Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA. His research
spent eleven years as a Professor with the University of South Florida, Tampa, interests include computational electromagnetics, wireless power harvesting,
FL, USA. He holds 40 patents, has more than 300 peer reviewed papers, and terahertz devices and sub-mm-wave/terahertz antennas. He was the recipient of
has directed research training programs that have supported more than 200 best student paper awards at URSI-GASS-2017, IEEE-iWat-2017 and IEEE-
doctoral students in all areas of STEM. His expertise is in the field of biosensors, AMTA-2015. His paper also was the recipient of second place at student paper
microfluidics, nanostructured catalysts and microsystems. He has a background competition at AMTA-2014 and honorable mentions at APS-2014 and 2015.
in developing microfluidic tools for DNA damage detection, 3D multicellular
spheroid monitoring, real-time biomarker monitoring, automated cell health
monitoring, cardiovascular diagnostic sensors, and many other diagnostic de-
vices. As a Mentor, he has successfully advised more than 200 postgrad and
undergrad students, always being an advocate for minority students. He has been
recognized for his mentoring through multiple awards, including the Alfred P.
Sloan Foundation Mentor of the Year Award. He is also an active member of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National
Academy of Inventors.