Non-contact wearable synchronous measurement method of electrocardiogram and seismocardiogram signals

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology
• Cardiovascular Monitoring

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease poses a significant global health threat.
• Traditional cardiac monitoring methods have limitations in comfort and accuracy during motion.
• Advancements in information technology enable remote and distributed cardiac healthcare solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-contact, wearable system for simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) and seismocardiogram (SCG) measurement.
• To overcome the deficiencies of traditional ECG monitoring, particularly under motion states.
• To enable gel-free and comfortable cardiac health monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A system utilizing capacitance coupling electrodes and a high-resolution accelerometer was developed.
• Simultaneous ECG and SCG signals were collected through multi-layer cloth.
• A gel-free ECG measurement was achieved by replacing the traditional electrode with AgCl fabric.
• The empirical mode decomposition algorithm was employed for adaptive filtering of motion artifacts.

Main Results:

• The system successfully collected synchronous ECG and SCG signals at multiple chest points.
• Recommended measurement points were identified based on amplitude and timing analysis.
• Motion artifacts in ECG and SCG signals were effectively filtered, enhancing measurement performance.
• The system demonstrated effective synchronous data collection under various conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed non-contact, wearable system offers a promising approach for remote and distributed cardiac healthcare.
• This technology improves the comfort, informativeness, and accuracy of cardiac monitoring, especially during physical activity.
• The gel-free design and motion artifact filtering contribute to enhanced patient experience and data reliability.