Ear‐Area Soft Electronics for Advanced Healthcare Monitoring

Abstract The ear harbors a wealth of critical physiological and pathological information, positioning it as an ideal site for healthcare monitoring. However, the intricate geometry and physiological sensitivity of the ear pose formidable technical hurdles to effective healthcare monitoring. Soft electronics, renowned for their mechanical deformability, excellent skin conformability, and biocompatibility, offer compelling advantages, particularly within the emerging contexts of fifth‐generation technology and the Internet of Things. These innovations provide essential technical support for achieving comprehensive healthcare monitoring via ear‐area soft electronics. This review comprehensively outlines the recent advancements in ear‐area soft electronics for advanced healthcare monitoring. The authors begin by elucidating the physiological properties of the external, middle, and inner ear from clinical perspectives. Subsequently, leveraging these anatomical insights, the state‐of‐the‐art ear‐area soft bioelectric, biophysical, biochemical, and multimodal electronics for healthcare monitoring are explored. Furthermore, insights are offered into the enduring challenges and prospective directions for ear‐area soft electronics from systematic sensor design, data processing methodologies, and translational applications. As a whole, ear‐area soft electronics will provide new paradigms shift in the evolution of wearable and implantable electronics, thereby fostering the rapid and high‐quality development of healthcare monitoring systems.