So-Yoon Yang | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Kirigami-Structured Electronic Capsule for Long-Term Continuous Gastric Monitoring

Ingestible electronic systems enable non-invasive, in situ sensing within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, yet clinical translation has been limited by uncontrolled transit, short operational lifetimes, and unreliable wireless communication that prevent continuous monitoring. Here, we present a gastric-resident ingestible robotic platform that achieves week-long operation through integration of a bioinspired, electrically triggered release mechanism with a kirigami-enabled electronic architecture. A kirigami-patterned flexible printed circuit board spans the capsule body and deployable superelastic arms, enabling high-density integration of sensing, power management, and wireless modules within a constrained volume while tolerating large mechanical deformation during gastric residence. Stable retention and on-demand disassembly are achieved using thermally responsive polycaprolactone joints that transition from rigid to compliant states under electrical activation, avoiding dependence on variable chemical triggers. Reliable telemetry in the highly attenuating gastric environment is maintained using a dual-band Bluetooth Low Energy and sub-gigahertz module with RSSI- and throughput-aware adaptive transmission, balancing link robustness and energy consumption. We demonstrate long-term, continuous monitoring of gastric radiation exposure, enabling early detection of dose accumulation and providing a promising in vivo alternative to wearable or handheld dosimeters. Swine studies confirm stable gastric residence, sustained real-time telemetry, and safe gastrointestinal passage following triggered disassembly. This work establishes kirigami-enabled integration as a scalable strategy for long-term gastric-resident robotic systems.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2019

Surface Conduction and Electroosmotic Flow around Charged Dielectric Pillar Arrays in Microchannels

Dielectric microstructures have been reported to have negative influences on perm-selective ion transportation because ions do not migrate in areas where the structures are located. However, the structure can promote the transportation if the membrane is confined to a microscopical scale. In such scale where the area to volume ratio is significantly large, the primary driving mechanisms of the ion transportation are transited from electro-convective instability (EOI) to surface conduction (SC) and electroosmotic flow (EOF). Here we provide rigorous evidence on how SC and EOF around the dielectric microstructures can accelerate the ion transportation by multi-physics simulations and experimental visualizations. The microstructures further polarize the ion distribution by SC and EOF so that ion carriers can travel to the membrane more efficiently. Furthermore, we verified, for the first time, that the arrangements of microstructures have a critical impact on the ion transportation. While convective flows are isolated in crystal pillar configuration, the flows show elongated pattern and create an additional path for ion current in the aligned pillar configuration. Therefore, the fundamental findings of the electrokinetic effects on the dielectric microstructures suggest an innovative application in an energy-efficient micro/nanofluidic devices.

physics.app-ph↗