Smart hydrogels are inherently biocompatible hydrophilic three-dimensional polymer networks able to undergo a volume-phase transition in the presence of an analyte. By molecular imprinting and/or aptamer-based approaches they can be tailored for a wide range of analytes with high selectivity. In combination with the biocompatibility, this makes hydrogels very promising candidates for biomedical sensor applications. However, to date hydrogels are rarely used for that purpose as the reliable detection of their swelling state remains a challenge. Here we report on a newly developed biocompatible bending sensor platform which can be equipped with almost any smart hydrogel, thereby paving the way for biomedical applications.
