A 96 dB Input Dynamic Range Galvanic Skin Response Readout IC With 3.5 pA_rms Input-Referred Noise for Mental Stress...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Psychophysiology
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Psychological stress monitoring relies on accurate physiological measurements.
• Galvanic skin response (GSR) is a key indicator of autonomic nervous system activity.
• Existing GSR circuits often face challenges with noise, power consumption, and dynamic range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-noise, low-power GSR sensing circuit.
• To enable simultaneous measurement of skin conductance level (SCL) and skin conductance response (SCR).
• To enhance accuracy and robustness for wearable stress monitoring and biofeedback.

Main Methods:

• Designed a GSR circuit with second-order sub-ten-hertz filters to reduce interference.
• Integrated a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) for signal magnitude accommodation.
• Implemented a dynamic range adjustment mechanism based on real-time SCL.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 96.4 dB dynamic range.
• Measured an input-referred noise of 3.47 pA_rms within the 0.5-5 Hz band.
• Demonstrated simultaneous SCL and SCR measurement capability.

Conclusions:

• The developed GSR circuit offers significant improvements in accuracy and robustness.
• This technology is well-suited for wearable stress monitoring and real-time biofeedback.
• Low-noise, low-power design advances the field of psychophysiological sensing.