This article explores the importance of wearable and remote technologies in healthcare. The focus highlights its potential in continuous monitoring, examines the specificity of the issue, and offers a view of proactive healthcare. Our research describes a wide range of device types and scientific methodologies, starting from traditional chest belts to their modern alternatives and cutting-edge bioamplifiers that distinguish breathing from chest impedance variations. We also investigated innovative technologies such as the monitoring of thorax micromovements based on the principles of seismocardiography, ballistocardiography, remote camera recordings, deployment of integrated optical fibers, or extraction of respiration from cardiovascular variables. Our review is extended to include acoustic methods and breath and blood gas analysis, providing a comprehensive overview of different approaches to respiratory monitoring. The topic of monitoring respiration with wearable and remote electronics is currently the center of attention of researchers, which is also reflected by the growing number of publications. In our manuscript, we offer an overview of the most interesting ones.

Optical sensors play an increasingly important role in the development of medical diagnostic devices. They can be very widely used to measure the physiology of the human body. Optical methods include PPG, radiation, biochemical, and optical fiber sensors. Optical sensors offer excellent metrological properties, immunity to electromagnetic interference, electrical safety, simple miniaturization, the ability to capture volumes of nanometers, and non-invasive examination. In addition, they are cheap and resistant to water and corrosion. The use of optical sensors can bring better methods of continuous diagnostics in the comfort of the home and the development of telemedicine in the 21st century. This article offers a large overview of optical wearable methods and their modern use with an insight into the future years of technology in this field.

We present a new concept of three-dimensional (3D) polymer-based 1x4 beam splitter for wavelength splitting around 1550 nm. The beam splitter consists of IP-Dip polymer as a core and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Sylgard 184 as a cladding. The splitter was designed and simulated with two different photonics tools and the results show high splitting ratio for single-mode and multi-mode operation with low losses. Based on the simulations, a 3D beam splitter was designed and realized using direct laser writing (DLW) process with adaptation to coupling to standard single-mode fiber. With respect to the technological limits, the multi-mode splitter having core of (4x4) μm2 was designed and fabricated together with supporting stable mechanical construction. Splitting properties were investigated by intensity monitoring of splitter outputs using optical microscopy and near-field scanning optical microscopy. In the development phase, the optical performance of fabricated beam splitter was examined by splitting of short visible wavelengths using red light emitting diode. Finally, the splitting of 1550 nm laser light was studied in detail by near-field measurements and compared with the simulated results. The nearly single-mode operation was observed and the shape of propagating mode and mode field diameter was well recognized.

Due to the increasing trend of photonic device miniaturisation, there is also an increased need for optical splitting in a small volume. We propose a smart solution to split light in three dimensions (3D). A 3D optical splitter based on multimode interference (MMI) for the wavelength of 1550 nm is here designed, simulated, fabricated and optimised for splitting at 1550 nm. We focus also on the possibility of its direct integration on an optical fibre. The design is focused on the use of 3D laser lithography based on the direct laser writing (DLW) process. The output characteristics are investigated by near-field measurement, where we confirm the successful 1 × 4 splitting on a 158 µm long MMI splitter.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensors have attracted huge interest due to their ability to provide real-time sensing of a wide range of quantities, while still boasting high sensitivity, low cost, and electromagnetic immunity. Among various types of these sensors, waveguide-based sensors show great promise in terms of integrability into more complex circuits while still maintaining similar sensitivity and versatility as their stand-alone counterparts. This paper presents the results of investigation based on design and simulation of optimal parameters for multimode SPR-based waveguide sensor sensitive to any commonly used liquid analytes. The sensitivity for a wider range of analytes is achieved by utilisation of SiON material platform because refractive index adjustability of SiON offers a way to tailor sensor’s sensitivity to exact applications and analytes. One of the research goals in this work was to show that multi-mode waveguides may be suitable for such sensors with comparable sensitivity and higher transmission rates as single-mode waveguides. To showcase design possibilities, two variations with the same design and material’s refractive index adjustment only were investigated, and their optimal parameters have been found. Sensitivity for all commonly used liquid analytes was validated, with sensitivity rising to 1400 nm/RIU for label-free refractive index sensing, even without the use of any sensitivity-enhancing structures.

Planar MMI couplers based on inorganic material platforms have played an essential role in photonic integrated circuits development. Advances in organic polymer fabrication techniques enable the design of components beyond a single plane, thus facilitating vertical integration for a wide range of components, including the MMI coupler. This paper presents the design of two 3D IP-dip polymer-based MMI power splitters operating in the near-infrared part of the spectrum at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The resulting output power ratio, modal field distributions, spectral characteristics, and the effects of input fibre misalignment are investigated using the beam propagation method. The fabrication method used to realise the designed splitters was direct laser writing. The function of the splitters was then verified by a highly resolved near-field scanning optical microscope.