Healthcare Innovation will Drive Growth in the Global Electronic Skin Market

The global electronic skin market will grow at highest pace owing to increasing focus on healthcare innovation. Electronic skin, also known as e-skin, is a technology that involves integrating electronics with the human skin to collect various kinds of biometric data. E-skin helps in mimicking the human skin which provides sensory abilities such as touch, temperature, strain and pain.

Electronic skin has a wide range of applications from healthcare to consumer goods. In healthcare, e-skin helps in wound healing monitoring, physiological signal monitoring and drug delivery. E-skin patches can precisely measure body metrics like temperature, blood oxygen saturation and glucose levels constantly. This helps doctors in remote patient monitoring. E-skin bandages have the potential to accelerate wound healing by releasing medication or disinfectants based on the wound status. In consumer goods, e-skin can be used to make smart electronic devices and man-machine interfaces more user-friendly and adaptive. Touchscreen devices with e-skin will respond differently to different touch intensities.

The Global electronic skin market is estimated to be valued at US$ 7.14 BN in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14% over the forecast period 2024 to 2031.

Key Takeaways
Key players operating in the global electronic skin market are Resonetics (Hudson Medical Innovations), Abbott, Medtronic, MC10, Tapecon, Inc., GENTAG, Inc., General Electric Company, VivaLNK, Inc., Epicore Biosystems, Amorepacific Cosmetics (USA), Inc., iRhythm Technologies, Inc. and Fuelium.
The demand for Electronic Skin Market Size is increasing in the healthcare sector due to the rising focus on remote patient monitoring and drug delivery applications. Electronic skin helps in collecting important vital signs non-invasively which can improve patient outcomes.
Technological advancements are playing a major role in the development of electronic skin. Companies are exploring new materials that can mimic human skin properties better. Miniaturization of electronic components is allowing the integration of more sensors in electronic skin for multi-parameter monitoring.
Market Trends
Stretchable and intimate e-skin design - Companies are developing highly flexible and stretchable e-skin that can conform to different body areas including intimate areas like underarms to unobtrusively monitor biometrics.
Integration of advanced functionalities - Along with the basic parameters like temperature, efforts are on to introduce advanced capabilities like pain sensing, integrated health monitoring and drug delivery using microneedles in e-skin.
Multi-sensory e-skin systems - Many researchers are working on e-skin capable of multiple sensing including pressure, temperature, humidity, biochemical etc. using diverse material systems and sensor integration strategies.
Market Opportunities
E-derma and cosmetics - E-skin can enable smart skin care products that track UV exposure, moisture, toxins exposure etc. and accordingly suggest protective or therapeutic measures.
Prosthetics and medical devices - E-skin has potential to enhance usability and functionality of prosthetic devices and medical implants by imparting artificial sensory abilities.
Fitness and wellness - With miniaturization, e-skin can be integrated into fitness trackers, smart textiles for round-the-clock health and activity monitoring.
Impact of COVID-19 on Global Electronic Skin Market
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the growth of global electronic skin market. During the initial lockdown phases, supply chains and manufacturing units were disrupted worldwide. This led to decline in production volumes and shortage of raw materials. With restrictions on travel and transportation, exports and imports also declined significantly. However, with progression of pandemic and advancement of vaccination drives, economies started reopening gradually. Many industries adopted innovative approaches and accelerated their digitization initiatives to bounce back.
The electronic skin market witnessed mixed effects of pandemic. On one hand, demand from consumer electronics and fashion sectors declined initially due to closure of retail stores and production facilities. On the other hand, demand increased from healthcare sector to make wearable monitors, smart wound dressings and prosthetic skins for remote patient monitoring. Many players accelerated their R&D efforts to develop electronic skin for infection monitoring, drug delivery, and other medical applications. They also started exploring diverse applications in fitness, military, robotics and prosthetics.
To sustain growth in the long run, players are focusing on new product innovations, strategic partnerships and investments in next generation technologies. They are also working closely with healthcare providers and governments to ensure seamless supply chains. With enhanced resilience of digital healthcare infrastructure, electronic skin is expected to witness accelerated adoption across various medical applications in post COVID era.
Geographical Regions with Highest Concentration of Global Electronic Skin Market
North America holds the largest share of global electronic skin market in terms of value. Presence of prominent players, advanced research capabilities, increasing healthcare spending and swift adoption of new technologies drive the market growth in the region. The U.S. accounts for the major share due to extensive R&D activities backed by public and private investments.
Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for global electronic skin market propelled by rising population, increasing disposable incomes, growing focus on healthcare and fitness sectors across major countries like China and India. The region offers immense growth potential with rapid digitization and government initiatives to boost electronics manufacturing. China dominates the APAC market due to large domestic market, low production costs and presence of leading consumer electronics brands.
Fastest Growing Regional Market for Global Electronic Skin
Asia Pacific market for electronic skin is growing at the fastest pace globally compared to other regions. Factors such as rising middle class population, increasing health awareness, growing medical tourism industry and booming e-commerce are fueling the market growth. China, India, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries are expected to drive maximum demand in coming years.
Major players are shifting their focus towards Asia due to opportunities in wearables, robotics, prosthetics and medical industries. Governments are also offering favorable policies and incentives to promote electronics manufacturing and R&D activities. Ongoing trends of connected devices, smart healthcare and digitized industries will further accelerate the adoption of human-centric technologies like electronic skin in Asia. Its large population combined with rapid economic growth makes Asia Pacific the most lucrative market for future expansion.