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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
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A Single-Channel and Non-Invasive Wearable Brain-Computer Interface for Industry and Healthcare
Published on: July 7, 2023
A low-voltage low-power front-end for wearable EEG systems
D Yates1, E López-Morillo, R G Carvajal
1Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, London, UK. d.yates@imperial.ac.uk
Summary
This study introduces a low-voltage, low-power front-end for wearable electroencephalography (EEG) systems. It minimizes noise and power consumption for miniaturized devices using novel transistor technology.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microelectronics
Background:
- Wearable electroencephalography (EEG) systems require low-power, miniaturized front-end electronics.
- Minimizing low-frequency noise and power consumption are critical challenges for implantable and wearable biosignal acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-voltage and low-power front-end for miniaturized wearable EEG systems.
- To address the limitations of existing systems regarding noise and power efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a chopping strategy combined with quasi-Floating Gate MOSFET (QFG) transistors in the instrumentation amplifier.
- Implemented QFG transistors in a 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC).
- Achieved system operation at a 1 V supply for the amplifier and 1.2 V for the ADC.
Main Results:
- The instrumentation amplifier effectively removed electrode drift and conditioned the EEG signal.
- The system achieved low-frequency noise minimization through the chopping strategy and QFG transistors.
- The ADC operated at 1.2 V with 70 dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and an oversampling ratio of 64.
- The entire system demonstrated ultra-low power consumption, less than 2 microwatts (uW) at 1.2 V.
Conclusions:
- The presented low-voltage, low-power front-end is suitable for miniaturized wearable EEG applications.
- The combination of chopping strategy and QFG transistors offers a viable solution for noise reduction and power efficiency.
- This design advancement enables more practical and accessible wearable biosensing technologies.
