Designing Adhesives For Wearable Applications
Developers of adhesives used to affix wearable medical devices to the skin must overcome a host of physical, demographic, and design challenges.
Although most wearables used in the healthcare space today are not classified as medical devices, the market for medical device wearable technologies is expected to grow to more than $5 billion by 2018. But in order to work, medical device wearables still have to be affixed to the body, necessitating the design and development of new adhesives. However, developing adhesives for wearable applications is no easy feat. Designers can create effective products only by knowing the skin type and age of the target patient population and by understanding the physical properties of the wearable device itself.
The Devil’s in the Details
“In designing a wearable system, most companies use adhesives that are already familiar to the regulatory bodies,” comments Martha Sloboda, director, global business development at Windsor, CT–based Scapa Healthcare. “Thus, they begin with such standard materials as acrylics, silicone, or polyurethane adhesive chemistries. But then it comes down to determining whether the device will be used under the clothing or whether it will be fully exposed, whether it will be exposed to moisture, whether it is a long- or a short-wear application, whether it will be affixed to a joint or a flexible site, whether it will be attached to broken or unbroken skin.”