A Bibliometric Analysis: Research Trends and Frontiers of Electronic Skin in Medical and Health Monitoring

ABSTRACT

To elucidate the evolutionary trajectory, research hotspots, and developmental trends of electronic skin (e-skin) in medical and health monitoring, this study conducted a systematic bibliometric analysis of 1,460 valid publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2008-2025) and screened via the PRISMA protocol. Utilizing tools such as Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace, we analyzed the literature's fundamental characteristics, spatiotemporal distributions, collaboration networks, and high-impact contributions. The results demonstrate that the field is expanding exponentially at an annual rate of 30.17% ( \(R^{2}=0.8957\) ), characterized by a rapid knowledge renewal cycle (average document age of 3.71 years) and significant academic influence (average of 75.61 citations per paper). Geographically, China dominates the global landscape, contributing 72.5% of the total output, followed by the United States and South Korea, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (270 papers) and Tsinghua University (94 papers) serving as core institutional hubs. The research primarily centers on material innovation, device integration, and clinical adaptability, exhibiting a thematic evolution from material performance optimization and biomimetic function realization to clinical translation exploration. Currently, emerging frontiers are coalescing around hydrogel-based materials, the fusion of artificial intelligence with multimodal sensing, wearable integration, and biodegradable technologies. This study provides critical data support and strategic references for optimizing research layouts and accelerating the clinical translation of e-skin technologies.