**6. Trends and future directions**

The small size, high sensitivity, and potential low-cost nature of SAW devices make them attractive for large-scale biosensor applications. The detection is primarily focused on monitoring changes in the acoustic wave velocity due to attenuation by a surface mass loading on the surface of a piezoelectric material. The development of clinical biosensors will likely require the use of bodily fluids, which would require a primary focus will on Love-mode SAW devices that are able to operate in liquid environments. Although there are a limited number of SAW biosensors on the market, there are no commercially available devices approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for widespread usage. There is, however, a critical need for a portable rapid screening tool to monitor food safety and screen for infectious diseases. Therefore, point-of-care diagnostic tools are in strong demand in both biological and medical facilities. Currently, there is only one company attempting to commercialize SAW biosensors for biological and medical applications and that is TST Biomedical Company from Taiwan. This company is a subsidiary of TaiSAW.
