A wearable biomechanical system for medical evaluation of soft tissue disorders
- Min-Seung Jo
- Hee-Sup Shin
- Jin-Tae Kim
- Shupeng Li
- Sonwoo Jung
- Jungyeon Kim
- Tae Wan Park
- Jodi L. Johnson
- Carrie Richardson
- Eseosa Olive Osaghae
- Kyoung-Ho Ha
- Hyosik Park
- Josif Bozovic
- Winnie Sung
- Jaewon Lim
- Sammer Marzouk
- Yujin Choi
- Sofia Natasha Guzman
- Bridget Christina Groble
- Shuai Xu
- Fredrick Wigley
- Jae-Young Yoo
- Yonggang Huang
- Ann Marie Flores
- John A. Rogers
2026-07-15
Evaluating soft tissue elasticity provides critical biomechanical insights essential for the precise characterization of various physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we present the clinical validation of a wireless, compact wearable system designed for direct, location-specific monitoring of the elastic modulus of the skin and underlying tissues via vibro-rotational biomechanical dynamics. Validated by computational models and experiments, the device uses a tunable skin interface to enable depth-controlled measurements across diverse anatomical sites. Two human subject studies, one involving patients with cancer-related lymphedema and the other involving patients with systemic scleroderma, yield data that correlate with standard clinical metrics. This technology offers the potential for longitudinal assessments in these and other contexts, in both clinical and home settings.