Authors:
Renato Lourenço
1
;
Paulo Leite
1
;
André Lourenço
2
;
Hugo Silva
3
;
Ana Fred
4
and
David Coutinho
5
Affiliations:
1
ISEL-IPL, Portugal
;
2
ISEL-IPL and IST-UTL, Portugal
;
3
IST-UTL, PLUX - Wireless Biosignals and S.A., Portugal
;
4
IST-UTL, Portugal
;
5
IST-UTL and ISEL-IPL, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Dry Ag/AgCl, Electrolycra, ECG, Electrodes, Hands, Fingers.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Biomedical Engineering
;
Biomedical Instruments and Devices
;
Biomedical Sensors
;
Electrocardiography and Heart Monitoring
;
Emerging Technologies
;
Technologies Evaluation
;
Telecommunications
;
Wireless and Mobile Technologies
;
Wireless Information Networks and Systems
Abstract:
Current Electrocardiographic (ECG) signal acquisition methods are generally highly intrusive, as they involve the use of pre-gelled electrodes and cabled sensors placed directly on the person, at the chest or limbs level. Moreover, systems that make use of alternative conductive materials to overcome this issue, only provide heart rate information and not the detailed signal itself. We present a comparison and evaluation of two types of dry electrodes as interface with the skin, targeting wearable and low intrusiveness applications, which enable ECG measurement without the need for any apparatus permanently fitted to the individual. In particular, our approach is targeted at ECG biometrics using signals collected at the hand or finger level. A custom differential circuit with virtual ground was also developed for enhanced usability. Our work builds upon the current stateof-the-art in sensoring devices and processing tools, and enables novel data acquisition settings through the use o
f dry electrodes. Experimental evaluation was performed for Ag/AgCl and Electrolycra materials, and results show that both materials exhibit adequate performance for the intended application.
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