Dhaamini U.,
C. R. Harathi,
D. Mahammad Rafi,
- Student, Department of Biomedical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
- Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Veltech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science), Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Dundigal, Hyderaad, Telangana, India
Abstract
Graphene-based electronic skin (e-skin) has emerged as a transformative technology for next-generation wearable health monitoring and advanced human–machine interaction (HMI). Owing to its outstanding electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, atomic-scale thickness, and incompatibility, graphene enables the fabrication of ultrathin, conformal, and multifunctional sensors capable of mimicking the sensory functions of natural human skin. Over the past decade, research in this domain has progressed rapidly across four interconnected fronts: material synthesis and fabrication strategies, composite and hybrid structure design, device-level architectural innovation, and the integration of intelligent data-processing frameworks. On the materials front, techniques – such as chemical vapor deposition, liquid-phase exfoliation, and laser-induced graphene patterning – each contributed distinct trade-offs between film quality, cost, and manufacturing scalability. Structurally, wrinkled, foamed, and porous graphene architectures have substantially improved sensitivity for pressure and tactile sensing by increasing effective surface area and concentrating localized strain. At the device level, graphene-based sensors now support diverse sensing modalities – including pressure, strain, temperature, humidity, and biochemical detection – allowing continuous, multi-parameter physiological monitoring. Beyond healthcare, these capabilities extend naturally into human–machine interaction applications such as gesture recognition, robotic tactile feedback, and immersive virtual and augmented reality environments. A particularly significant development has been the convergence of graphene e-skin with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which has substantially enhanced signal denoising, feature extraction, pattern recognition, and personalized health analytics from the high-dimensional data streams these sensors generate. Despite this progress, several barriers continue to hinder widespread clinical and commercial deployment, including challenges in scalable and reproducible fabrication, long-term device stability under physiological conditions, energy autonomy for continuous operation, and regulatory approval pathways. This review systematically synthesizes recent advances across materials, structural design, applications, and AI integration in graphene-based e-skin and concludes by outlining the key challenges and future research directions necessary to translate these systems into intelligent, autonomous, and clinically deployable wearable technologies.
Keywords: Graphene, electronic skin, wearable health monitoring, human–machine interaction, flexile sensors, artificial intelligence.
[This article belongs to Special Issue under section in Journal of Polymer & Composites (jopc)]
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Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| Special Issue | 04 | |
| Received | 31/03/2026 | |
| Accepted | 30/07/2026 | |
| Published | 10/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 132 Days |