A Mass-Producible Washable Smart Garment with Embedded Textile EMG Electrodes for Control of Myoelectric Prostheses: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Electromyography (EMG) is the resulting electrical signal from muscle activity, commonly used as a proxy for users’ intent in voluntary control of prosthetic devices. EMG signals are recorded with gold standard Ag/AgCl gel electrodes, though there are limitations in continuous use applications, with potential skin irritations and discomfort. Alternative dry solid metallic electrodes also face long-term usability and comfort challenges due to their inflexible and non-breathable structures. This is critical when the anatomy of the targeted body region is variable (e.g., residual limbs of individuals with amputation), and conformal contact is essential. In this study, textile electrodes were developed, and their performance in recording EMG signals was compared to gel electrodes. Additionally, to assess the reusability and robustness of the textile electrodes, the effect of 30 consumer washes was investigated. Comparisons were made between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), with no statistically significant difference, and with the power spectral density (PSD), showing a high correlation. Subsequently, a fully textile sleeve was fabricated covering the forearm, with 14 textile electrodes. For three individuals, an artificial neural network model was trained, capturing the EMG of 7 distinct finger movements. The personalized models were then used to successfully control a myoelectric prosthetic hand.

A Novel Screen-Printed Textile Interface for High-Density Electromyography Recording

“…Gesture recognition results were on par with the results presented in the literature using wet [ 35 , 36 ] and dry electrodes [ 11 , 13 , 15 , 30 , 37 , 38 ]. Our electrode integrated substantially more pads compared to most textile solutions presented in the literature.…”

“…Similarly, in [ 11 ], the authors produced a sensor band placed around the forearm with eight knitted electrodes using intarsia pattern knitting, with a combination of silver-plated and nonconductive polyester yarn. In [ 13 ], the authors produced a textile sleeve with seven bipolar electrodes knitted with silicon-based conductive yarn. Importantly, most of the embroidered and knitted solutions mentioned above were connected to the amplifier through snap connectors mounted on the back of each recording pad.…”

“…Textile electrodes are particularly suitable for practical application as they are reusable and can be integrated into breathable materials, thereby improving comfort and enabling long-term monitoring. Such electrodes are commonly produced using conductive yarn knitted [ 11 , 12 , 13 ] or embroidered [ 14 , 15 ] into the fabrics. However, conductive pads can be also created using standard screen-printing technology [ 16 ].…”

Conductive Cellulose-Derived Carbon Nanofibrous Membranes with Superior Softness for High-Resolution Pressure Sensing and Electrophysiology Monitoring

“…Meanwhile, our PPy@CC 4 Si 1 electrode displays higher SNR when compared with other epidermal electrodes reported in the literature, such as heat-pressed/AgNW/thermoplastic polyurethane (HP-AgNW/TPU), poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate/polydimethylsiloxane (PEDOT:PSS/PDMS), E-textile from carbon-contained silicone rubber, enlarged surface-area skin electrode (ESASE) electrodeposited with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and silver nanorod (AgNRs)-embedded PDMS (AgNRs-PDMS), etc. ,− In addition, the peak-to-peak amplitude and the signal intensity are consistent with the gripping force (Figure S11). And the durability of our dry PPy@C-Si film electrode is much better than the commercial gel electrode after exposure to air (Figure S12).…”

Human Arm Workout Classification by Arm Sleeve Device Based on Machine Learning Algorithms

“…Its performance was evaluated by obtaining arm muscle data in the form of an armband and comparing it with the conventional wet electrode; the EMG signal was measured by various types of electrode conductive lines and waves. In addition, past studies have classified aerobic exercises such as cycling, running, and jumping in a wearable form, and have focused on motion classification such as finger motion recognition using dry electrodes [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In [ 13 ], the hydrogel electrode is replaced with a fabric electrode and seven finger movements are classified as EMG signals.…”