AI Smart Bandage Heals Wounds 25% Faster With Real-Time Treatment

A new wearable device developed by engineers in California could soon transform the way wounds are treated. The device, called a-Heal, uses artificial intelligence, imaging, and bioelectronics to monitor wounds in real time and deliver personalized treatment. Early studies show it can accelerate healing by about 25% compared to standard care, raising hopes for patients with slow-to-heal or chronic wounds.

A Smarter Way to Heal

When the body repairs a wound, it passes through several stages-clotting, inflammation, scabbing, and tissue rebuilding. But this process doesn't always go smoothly, especially for people with underlying health conditions.

The a-Heal system is designed to guide wounds through these stages more effectively. A tiny camera embedded in the bandage captures images every couple of hours. These images are analyzed by an AI“physician,” which determines how the wound is progressing. If the system detects that healing has stalled, it automatically applies treatment-either delivering a small dose of medication or using gentle electric fields to stimulate tissue repair.

“It's essentially a microscope inside a bandage,” said Mircea Teodorescu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz.“The power of AI comes from tracking patterns over time, spotting when healing slows, and suggesting the right intervention.”

Personalized Treatments on Demand

One of the treatments the device can deliver is fluoxetine, a drug better known as an antidepressant, but which also helps wounds heal by reducing inflammation and boosting tissue closure. The bandage can also apply electric fields, which encourage skin cells to move toward the wound and close it faster.

The AI system doesn't just deliver a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it uses a reinforcement learning model-a type of machine learning that improves through trial and error-to adjust the dosage and strength of treatment in real time.“The goal is always the same: minimize the time to full wound closure,” explained Marcella Gomez, associate professor of applied mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, who led the AI development.

Tested and Proven in Preclinical Studies

In preclinical trials at UC Davis, wounds treated with a-Heal healed significantly faster than those managed with standard care, closing roughly 25% sooner. Researchers say this could be especially valuable for people suffering from chronic wounds, such as those related to diabetes or poor circulation, where healing often stalls for weeks or months.

The device also sends wound images and healing data to a secure online platform, so physicians can monitor progress remotely and step in if needed. This feature could make advanced wound care more accessible for patients in rural areas or those unable to travel frequently for medical visits.

Looking Ahead

The project is a collaboration between UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis, supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The findings were recently published in npj Biomedical Innovations, with additional technical details described in Communications Biology and Bioengineering.

“Our system takes cues from the body and optimizes healing with smart interventions,” said Marco Rolandi, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz and lead investigator.“We hope this technology can make a real difference for patients who struggle with slow or non-healing wounds.”

Researchers are now exploring how the device could be adapted to treat infected wounds or more complex chronic conditions.

If successful in human trials, this AI-powered smart bandage could mark the beginning of a new era in personalized, high-tech wound care.

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