Development of wearable multi-lead ECG measurement device using cubic flocked electrode

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Motion artifacts (MAs) are a major challenge for medical-grade electrocardiogram (ECG) signal quality.
• Stable skin-electrode contact is crucial for minimizing MAs in dry electrode systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and evaluate a novel cubic flocked electrode (CFE) for wearable ECG monitoring.
• To develop a wearable multi-lead ECG device utilizing the CFE technology.
• To assess the CFE's ability to reduce motion artifacts for improved ECG signal quality.

Main Methods:

• Electrostatic flocking technology was used to fabricate the cubic flocked electrodes (CFEs).
• In-house developed equipment was used to evaluate motion artifact reduction at varying contact pressures.
• A wearable multi-lead ECG device was designed and fabricated based on optimal contact pressure findings.

Main Results:

• The CFE demonstrated reduced respiration-induced motion artifacts at a contact pressure of approximately 500 Pa.
• Wearable multi-lead ECG measurements using the CFE achieved performance comparable to conventional medical devices.
• The CFE's design offers both contact stability and flexibility, crucial for low-MA ECG monitoring.

Conclusions:

• The cubic flocked electrode (CFE) is a promising dry electrode technology for wearable ECG devices.
• Optimized contact pressure (around 500 Pa) with CFEs effectively minimizes motion artifacts.
• The developed wearable ECG system provides medical-grade signal quality, comparable to existing devices.