Sweat-based wearable biosensors: A new era of continuous, noninvasive health monitoring and diagnostics

Wearable biosensors have revolutionised the field of healthcare monitoring and sweat-based wearable biosensors are a significant game changer due to the benefits of label-free detection, rapid response and ease of integration. At a high level, they offer a new way to monitor health metrics. In this review, we focus on sweat-based wearable biosensors (SBWSs) and their applications in healthcare monitoring. In this study, we categorise these sensors’ structural and functional properties into several types, such as enzyme-based, antibody-based, aptamer-based and ion-sensitive membrane-based. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of how sweat-based biosensors work and how they can be employed in healthcare monitoring. We further focus on the challenges and prospects of SBWSs from the perspective of technological limitations and advancements. We discuss the key features of these evergreen areas and conversational trends to inspire in rapidly evolving techniques. We review the latest studies to underline the current advancement in research and the engineering and clinical aspects of sweat-based wearable biosensors for researchers, engineers and healthcare professionals working in the design and scientific study of system development and healthcare monitoring. • Sweat-based wearable biosensors (SBWS) offer label-free detection, rapid response, and ease of integration for healthcare monitoring. • Structural and functional characteristics of materials and recognition elements. • Challenges facing SBWS from a technological perspective while highlighting future trends and advancements critical to their development. • Current research progress in SBWS addresses both engineering and clinical aspects.