Detection of the Complete ECG Waveform with Woven Textile Electrodes

Abstract

Wearable physiological monitoring systems are becoming increasingly prevalent in the push toward autonomous health monitoring and offer new modalities for playful and purposeful interaction within human computer interaction (HCI). Sensing systems that can be integrated into garments and, therefore, daily activities offer promising pathways toward ubiquitous integration. The electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is commonly monitored in healthcare and is increasingly utilized as a method of determining emotional and psychological state; however, the complete ECG waveform with the P, Q, R, S, and T peaks is not commonly used, due to the challenges associated with collecting the full waveform with wearable systems. We present woven textile electrodes as an option for garment-integrated ECG monitoring systems that are capable of capturing the complete ECG waveform. In this work, we present the changes in the peak detection performance caused by different sizes, patterns, and thread types with data from 10 human participants. These testing results provide empirically-derived guidelines for future woven textile electrodes, present a path forward for assessing design decisions, and highlight the importance of testing novel wearable sensor systems with more than a single individual.

Woven eTextiles in HCI — a Literature Review

“…Three works focus on both inputs and outputs [20,42,108]. We found 13 sources describing other woven components (electrodes or other discrete components) and antennas and coils [2,11,27,33,39,43,62,66,68,103,128,130,131]. In addition, six sources address woven components in combination with woven-in ones [5,16,19,28,89,96], and fve discuss the former in conjunction with electrical signalling [37,82,95,97,105].…”

“…Seven of them involve on-skin electrodes for measuring biosignals. The researchers reported on silver-coated yarns [2,19], silver-silver-chloride yarns [130,131], stainless-steel yarns [2], a combination of stainless-steel and Litz-type wires [43], and silver-polymer twisted yarns [103]. Electrode-like structures featured in the 'Involving the Machines' work too, with the team testing various types of conductive yarns [89].…”

“…Arquilla et al [2] and Zhang and Zhong [131] have compared how various simple weaves infuence the performance of electrodes for electrocardiogram. The results suggest for example, that creating shorter yarn foats improves performance, as it lessens yarn movements within the electrode, whereas longer foats provide better skin contact.…”

Research Progress of ECG Monitoring Equipment and Algorithms Based on Polymer Materials

“…In the direction of non-contact sensors and implantable sensors, flexible electrodes using composite materials have achieved new breakthroughs in signal quality [24,25]. Figure 3 shows the shape of the ECG sensor of different types of materials [26][27][28].…”

Development and Characterization of Embroidery-Based Textile Electrodes for Surface EMG Detection

“…Thus, it is easy to put on and takes off, and there is almost no foreign body feeling to the electrodes, so the wearing comfort is improved. A representative method for fabricating textile-based electrodes involves manufacturing a woven or knitted fabric using conductive yarn [20][21][22] or a method of manufacturing by screen-printing on fabric using a conductive ink or a composite [23]. Among them, embroidery is used to produce textile-type electrodes.…”