Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2025
05:56
Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit
Published on: September 6, 2024
2.3K
Flexi-EIT: A Flexible and Reconfigurable Active Electrode Electrical Impedance Tomography System.
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems
|August 22, 2023
Summary
This study introduces Flexi-EIT, a reconfigurable Electrical Impedance Tomography system using digital active electrodes. It offers adaptable electrode configurations for improved wearable healthcare imaging and real-time performance.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
- Wearable Technology
Background:
- Traditional Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) systems face limitations due to fixed electrode configurations, hindering flexibility and adaptability in applications like real-time wearable healthcare imaging.
- Advancements in EIT are crucial for improving diagnostic capabilities and patient monitoring through non-invasive imaging techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and evaluate a flexible and reconfigurable EIT system (Flexi-EIT) addressing the limitations of conventional EIT devices.
- To demonstrate the adaptability and performance of the Flexi-EIT system for various healthcare imaging scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Development of a flexible and reconfigurable EIT system (Flexi-EIT) utilizing a digital active electrode (DAE) architecture.
- Integration of up to 32 replaceable DAEs on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) based wearable electrode belt.
- Hardware-software co-optimization for image reconstruction, balancing model size, accuracy, power consumption, and real-time latency.
- Design and fabrication of compact DAEs (13.1 mm × 24.4 mm, 2 grams) with programmable current output (up to 100 kHz, 1 mA p-p) and integrated voltage acquisition capabilities meeting IEC 60601-1 standards.
Main Results:
- The Flexi-EIT system demonstrated rapid, reliable, and easy electrode placement with high device flexibility and reliability.
- Measured results on a mesh phantom showed EIT measurement frames at 38 fps and real-time EIT images at a minimum of 5 fps.
- The system successfully configured with varying numbers of DAEs and scan patterns, showcasing adaptability.
Conclusions:
- The proposed Flexi-EIT system overcomes the limitations of fixed electrode configurations in traditional EIT.
- Flexi-EIT offers a flexible, adaptable, and high-performance solution for real-time wearable healthcare imaging.
- The system's design provides an optimal balance of performance, hardware resources, and adaptability for diverse application scenarios.
