PDMS-Silver Ink Dry Electrodes for Fingertip Electrocardiogram Signal Acquisition: Development and Evaluation

The acquisition of high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is crucial for biomedical applications. Traditional Ag/AgCl wet electrodes face limitations in terms of comfort, long-term use, and ease of application. This study presents the development and evaluation of solid state electrodes composed of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate and a silver-ink conductive layer. These electrodes were designed for the acquisition of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals at the fingers. Their performance was evaluated through comparative analysis of ECG signals acquired with traditional Ag/AgCl electrodes. Results demonstrated that the developed electrodes achieved high signal quality, with consistent waveforms and minimal distortion, even in the absence of conductive gels and a reference electrode. The synchronization technique used, namely Dynamic Time Warping, enabled effective signal alignment, further validating the similarity between the ECG signals acquired by the two electrode types. The proposed PDMS-silver ink electrodes provide distinct advantages, including improved comfort, reusability, and biocompatibility, offering a practical and user-friendly alternative to traditional electrodes. Future work will explore their robustness and potential for seamless biometric recognition systems.