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

Abstract

Recording electrical muscle activity using a dense matrix of detection points (high-density electromyography, EMG) is of interest in a range of different applications, from human-machine interfacing to rehabilitation and clinical assessment. The wider application of high-density EMG is, however, limited as the clinical interfaces are not convenient for practical use (e.g., require conductive gel/cream). In the present study, we describe a novel dry electrode (TEX) in which the matrix of sensing pads is screen printed on textile and then coated with a soft polymer to ensure good skin-electrode contact. To benchmark the novel solution, an identical electrode was produced using state-of-the-art technology (polyethylene terephthalate with hydrogel, PET) and a process that ensured a high-quality sample. The two electrodes were then compared in terms of signal quality as well as functional application. The tests showed that the signals collected using PET and TEX were characterised by similar spectra, magnitude, spatial distribution and signal-to-noise ratio. The electrodes were used by seven healthy subjects and an amputee participant to recognise seven hand gestures, leading to similar performance during offline analysis and online control. The comprehensive assessment, therefore, demonstrated that the proposed textile interface is an attractive solution for practical applications.

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

“…Figure 6 shows the position of electrodes on the participant’s right arm. The electrodes were attached to the MyoWare boards and placed along the interested muscles, which are brachioradialis, biceps brachii, and triceps brachii [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Brachioradialis is mostly activated during Wrist Curl, while biceps brachii and triceps brachii can be activated by moving the forearm up and down when the upper arm is fixed [ 13 , 14 ] ( Figure 5 ).…”

“…In the past, hydrogel (Ag/AgCl) electrodes were used mostly to monitor muscle activity. However, some recent studies have proposed several methods to monitor EMG signals, in which they replaced them with dry electrodes because of their superiority over the other type in terms of the manufacturing procedure, users’ experience, and measurement performance [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In [ 9 ], The EMG signal was analyzed by varying the embroidery pattern of the conductive yarn.…”

“…A dry electrode capable of generating a morphologically stable signal was fabricated. In [ 10 ], a dry electrode was produced by printing silver paste on PET material with a round shape. 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.…”

Recent Advances and Challenges in Textile Electrodes for Wearable Biopotential Signal Monitoring: A Comprehensive Review

“…With the two electrodes, comparable EMG signal quality, signal to noise ratio, frequency spectra, and spatial distribution were found. The absence of motion artefacts in the recorded signals indicates that the soft polymer used absorbed minor skin deformations [68].…”

“…The elastic hand sleeves or leg sleeves can also be used to attach the textile electrodes. They can also be fastened to the wrist using elastic bands and Velcro straps [67][68][69]. In Sections 4 and 5, which follow, a detailed description of various coating and fabrication techniques to create conductive fabrics is discussed.…”