Advances in self-powered wearable and flexible electronics: A review

The rapid evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), personalized healthcare, and human-machine interaction is driving a shift from rigid electronics toward flexible, body-conformable wearable systems. This review examines recent advances in self-powered flexible electronics by integrating perspectives from materials science, fabrication, energy technologies, sensing, and system-level design. Key functional materials, including stretchable conductive hydrogels, liquid-metal composites, graphene, MXenes, and polymer nanocomposites, are discussed alongside scalable manufacturing approaches such as printing, additive manufacturing, and fibre-based fabrication. Particular attention is given to triboelectric, piezoelectric, and thermoelectric energy harvesters and flexible batteries and micro-supercapacitors that enable autonomous operation. The review further considers multifunctional sensors, wireless communication, and artificial intelligence for integrated wearable platforms. Unlike conventional reviews focused on individual components, this work emphasizes system-level integration, energy budgeting, manufacturing scalability, and the distinction between genuine AI-enabled closed-loop autonomy and offline data analysis. These perspectives provide a translational framework for advancing self-powered wearables toward reliable clinical and consumer applications.