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Wireless and battery-free implantable sensing technologies for translatable bioelectronics

Nature Sensors volume 1, pages 290–304 (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Chronic cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic diseases affect billions of people worldwide, yet conventional tethered or battery-powered implants are constrained by bulk, infection risk and finite lifespans that necessitate surgical replacement. Here we examine recent advances in wireless and battery-free implantable sensors, spanning clinical motivations, device architectures, wireless communication strategies, energy solutions and representative perspectives. We discuss how tailored encapsulation and fixation, application-specific sampling strategies, and multimodal transduction pathways enable stable biointerfaces and high-fidelity physiological monitoring. We show that wireless telemetry has evolved from passive backscatter to hybrid active–passive schemes, enabling higher bandwidth, deeper implantation and improved signal robustness. We further summarize wireless power transfer and in-body energy-harvesting approaches that support sustainable device operation. We conclude by identifying key technical and translational challenges and outlining emerging directions towards clinically translatable, autonomous, wireless and battery-free bioelectronic systems.

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Fig. 1: WBF implantable biosensors for comprehensive physiological monitoring and therapeutic intervention.
Fig. 2: Core modules enabling sensing, telemetry and personalized therapeutics in WBF implantable systems.
Fig. 3: Battery-free power solutions and power–depth characteristics of implantable biosensors.
Fig. 4: Evolutionary roadmap of next-generation implantable biosensors.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge that this work was supported by the Basic Research Program (RS-2022-NR070716, RS-2025-18362970) and the Nano & Material Technology Development Program (RS-2025-25441823) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by Ministry of Science and ICT.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Xiangchun Meng, Xiao Xiao, Yong Hyun Kwon.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Human-oriented Triboelectric Energy Harvesting, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Xiangchun Meng, Xiao Xiao, Yong Hyun Kwon, Yoojin Park, Yeong Joo Jo & Sang-Woo Kim

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Xiangchun Meng, Xiao Xiao, Yong Hyun Kwon, Yoojin Park, Yeong Joo Jo & Sang-Woo Kim

  3. Research and Development Center, Energymining Co. Ltd, Suwon, Republic of Korea

    Sang-Woo Kim

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  1. Xiangchun Meng
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  2. Xiao Xiao
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  3. Yong Hyun Kwon
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  4. Yoojin Park
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Contributions

All authors contributed to discussions and editing of the paper. X.M., X.X., Y.H.K. and S.-W.K. conceived of and structured the article. Y.P. and Y.J.J. conducted literature collection and prepared the tables and references. X.M., X.X. and Y.H.K. drafted the paper. S.-W.K. revised and refined the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sang-Woo Kim.

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Meng, X., Xiao, X., Kwon, Y.H. et al. Wireless and battery-free implantable sensing technologies for translatable bioelectronics. Nat. Sens. 1, 290–304 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44460-026-00054-y

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