Ultrasound adds the third dimension to wearable sensors.

Composites have been extensively studied for dielectric and related applications. This is a review of polymer based 0–3 composites that exhibit a high dielectric constant. These composites are classified into two types: Dielectric–dielectric composite and conductor–dielectric composite. The physical principles and related models are presented with associated assumptions and approximations. In general, a dielectric–dielectric composite needs a higher concentration of the fillers to reach a high dielectric constant than a conductor–dielectric composite. The high dielectric constant observed in the conductor–dielectric composites is usually associated with a high dielectric loss and a low electric breakdown field. The experimental results are summarized to illustrate the principles for, and the achievements in, the development of these composites. The challenges facing the fundamental understanding and the further development of these composites for different applications are discussed.

Ultrasound is widely used for tissue imaging such as breast cancer diagnosis; however, fundamental challenges limit its integration with wearable technologies, namely, imaging over large-area curvilinear organs. We introduced a wearable, conformable ultrasound breast patch (cUSBr-Patch) that enables standardized and reproducible image acquisition over the entire breast with less reliance on operator training and applied transducer compression. A nature-inspired honeycomb-shaped patch combined with a phased array is guided by an easy-to-operate tracker that provides for large-area, deep scanning, and multiangle breast imaging capability. The in vitro studies and clinical trials reveal that the array using a piezoelectric crystal [Yb/Bi-Pb(In _{1 /2} Nb _1/2 )O ₃ -Pb(Mg _{1/ 3} Nb _2/3 )O ₃ -PbTiO ₃ ] (Yb/Bi-PIN-PMN-PT) exhibits a sufficient contrast resolution (~3 dB) and axial/lateral resolutions of 0.25/1.0 mm at 30 mm depth, allowing the observation of small cysts (~0.3 cm) in the breast. This research develops a first-of-its-kind ultrasound technology for breast tissue scanning and imaging that offers a noninvasive method for tracking real-time dynamic changes of soft tissue.