Roorkee, Sep 11: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, in collaboration with the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, have developed a smart, self–powered electronic bandage that uses natural body movement to generate electrical signals that can support wound healing, without requiring a battery, wires or an external power source.
The technology, called 3D-MIDAS, converts mechanical energy produced when the flexible material stretches during natural body movement into electrical stimulation. In simple terms, the movement of the body can help power the bandage.
Wound healing is a complex process, and the natural electrical signals that help guide cells during tissue repair can be disrupted when skin is injured. The 3D-MIDAS approach is designed to provide electrical stimulation at the wound site while also offering a flexible, breathable structure that helps manage wound fluid. The scaffold can stretch to approximately 800% of its original length, allowing it to accommodate body movement.
The technology integrates electrically active nanofibres and an ionically conductive network within a single three-dimensional fibrous structure. When the material is stretched, these components work together to generate electrical signals. Its porous architecture also supports breathability and wound-fluid management.
“The real value of research lies in its ability to address challenges that matter to society. This work is a strong example of how advanced materials and interdisciplinary research can be directed towards a practical healthcare need. The idea of using natural body movement to power a wound-care technology is both innovative and potentially meaningful, particularly for situations where simple, flexible and self–powered solutions can offer an advantage. I congratulate the research team for bringing together expertise across disciplines to address an important healthcare challenge,” said Prof. K. K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee.
“We wanted to address a basic limitation of many existing electrical wound–healing systems, the need for an external power source. With 3D-MIDAS, the movement of the body itself provides the mechanical energy needed to generate electrical stimulation. At the same time, the dressing is flexible, breathable and capable of managing wound fluid. Our results are encouraging and suggest that this approach could lead to more convenient and self–powered wound-care technologies in the future,” said Prof. Kaushik Parida, Principal Investigator, IIT Roorkee.
The technology has been evaluated through laboratory and animal studies, with encouraging results. In laboratory experiments, 3D-MIDAS demonstrated approximately three-fold higher cell proliferation and 2.5-fold greater cell migration compared with control conditions, two processes important for tissue repair.
In animal studies, wounds treated with the 3D-MIDAS dressing showed approximately 90–95% wound closure within 13–15 days, along with enhanced formation of new blood vessels. Histological analysis also showed improved tissue architecture and enhanced collagen deposition in treated wounds.
The researchers also tested whether the dressing could generate electrical output from natural movement. When placed on wounds of freely moving rats, the dressing continued to generate electrical output as the animals moved, without any externally applied mechanical stimulation.
The device showed stable electrical performance over 500 stretching cycles, while longer-term testing demonstrated stable performance over three months, indicating its ability to withstand repeated mechanical deformation. The study also evaluated cell compatibility, blood compatibility, inflammatory responses and tissue regeneration, supporting further investigation of the material as a wound-care platform.
The self–powered nature of the technology could have future relevance in situations where carrying batteries, wires or powered stimulation equipment may not always be convenient. Potential areas include remote healthcare, emergency and disaster-response settings and, subject to dedicated testing and clinical validation, demanding field environments such as those encountered in defence and other emergency operations. The present study does not evaluate military use, and no defence application has yet been established. Human clinical studies will also be required before the technology can be considered for routine medical use. The broader significance of 3D-MIDAS lies in its potential to make wound-care technology flexible, self–powered and compatible with natural body movement, with possibilities extending beyond wound care to other wearable and bioelectronic applications
The research was supported through major Government of India research funding agencies and programmes, including the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Science and Technology, and Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, highlighting the role of India’s public research ecosystem in advancing interdisciplinary work across materials science, energy harvesting, bioelectronics and biomedical research.
The research team comprised Prof. Kaushik Parida, Department of Polymer and Process Engineering and Center for Sustainable Energy, IIT Roorkee, along with first author Vishu Verma, Romy Garg, Sayanti Mallick and Aneesh Ali from IIT Roorkee, and Kanika, Jattin Kumar and Rehan Khan from the Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali.
The study has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Energy under the title “3D monolithic integrated dipolar-ionic fibrous scaffold for self–powered wound healing and exudate management.” The research appears in Volume 157, Article 112266. DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112266
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