Congratulations to Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Amay Bandodkar on receiving a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This prestigious award supports early-career faculty who serve as role models in both research and education. Bandodkar’s grant will support his project, “Battery-powered wireless bandages for personalized wound care.”

“I am deeply honored to receive the prestigious NSF CAREER award,” said Bandodkar. “For an early-career researcher, this support is a game changer as it gives my lab the stability and momentum to tackle complex, high-stakes challenges in three critical areas — sensors, batteries and personalized diagnostics — that are foundational to my research interests.”

The Challenge

Bandages cover wounds, helping to keep out harmful microbes while limiting blood loss and aiding in the healing process. For those suffering from chronic wounds, bandages and timely care are especially critical when facing high healthcare costs, an elevated risk of amputation and a higher mortality rate. Current treatments are limited by the availability of healthcare workers as well as subjective assessment techniques, which can lead to delayed or even inaccurate treatments. 

Smart bandages, which use battery powered sensors to monitor wounds, are a big step forward when it comes to wound care, and NC State has been at the forefront of this emerging bandage and care technology for early detection and treatment of chronic wounds. Bandodkar is working to further this research by addressing the shortcomings of existing wound bandages, namely, that they are bulky and can rely on materials that are potentially toxic. 

Early detection is critical to wound care, which prompts the question: 

What if a bandage didn’t just cover a wound, but helped to monitor its healing? 

“My research lies in the rapidly evolving field of bioelectronics, an area I am drawn to because of its immense potential to reshape the future of medicine and sustainability,” said Bandodkar. “In this project, we will develop a new class of wearable microfluidic devices — powered by non-toxic batteries — for early detection of chronic wounds.”

The Goal

In this project, Bandodkar and his research group are working to create advanced wound monitors that are easy to use, safe for human use, sustainable and cost-effective. The team is approaching the project in three stages: 

• Biofuel cell-based sensor arrays: a grid of detectors powered by the body itself. Instead of relying on a bulky plug-in battery, these devices will create their own electricity by safely using the natural sugars, sweat and acids produced by the human body.
• High-performance, non-toxic thin-film batteries: these batteries will be incredibly thin, long-lasting and able to bend and flex with body movement.
• Integration: combining the first two stages of the project, the final product will be a smart bandage that is able to safely sample wound fluid and utilize wireless electronics to relay information in real time about wound condition.

“I am deeply fascinated by the interface where biology meets electronics and materials science,” said Bandodkar. “While these fields traditionally are quite different, merging them allows us to design innovative, cross-disciplinary solutions to major technological challenges. I focus on this area because it goes beyond theoretical science; I believe it holds the key to addressing critical global challenges, from pioneering next-generation medical devices to creating novel energy technologies.”

This post was originally published in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.