Exploring textile-based electrode materials for electromyography smart garments

Abstract

Introduction In recent years, electromyography (EMG) has been increasingly studied for wearable applications. Conventional gel electrodes for electrophysiological recordings have limited use in everyday applications such as prosthetic control or muscular therapy at home. This study investigates the efficacy and feasibility of dry-contact electrode materials employed in smart textiles for EMG recordings. Methods Dry-contact electrode materials were selected and implemented on textile substrates. Using these electrodes, EMG was recorded from the forearm of able-bodied subjects. 25% and 50% isometric maximum voluntary contractions were captured. A comparative investigation was performed against gel electrodes, assessing the effect of material properties on signal fidelity and strength compared. Results When isolating for electrode surface area and pressure, 31 of the 40 materials demonstrated strong positive correlations in their mean PSD with gel electrodes (r > 95, p < 0.001). The inclusion of ionic liquids in the material composition, and using raised or flat electrodes, did not demonstrate a significant effect in signal quality. Conclusions For EMG dry-contact electrodes, comparing the performance against gel electrodes for the application with the selected material is important. Other factors recommended to be studied are electrodes’ durability and long-term stability.

A review on the recent developments in design and integration of electromyography textile electrodes for biosignal monitoring

“…116 A recent study investigated the efficacy and feasibility of dry-contact electrode in smart textiles and compared it with conventional gel. 117 The noninvasive flexible sensor was successfully used to monitor patients having limb fractures. 118 In the same study, EMG was recorded on animals like rats using flexible wearable sensors.…”

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

“…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 Coiled Carbon Nanotube Yarn-Integrated Surface Electromyography System To Monitor Isotonic and Isometric Movements

“…Unlike intramuscular EMG that needs to be inserted into a muscle, sEMG electrodes have an advantage in wearable devices using EMG signals derived from muscle contractions due to their noninvasive application. − In fact, sEMG electrodes have been developed in various types of skin patches to monitor muscle activity. , Since all human movements are accompanied by muscle activity, sEMG electrodes have frequently been used to monitor human motions such as arm-hand gestures. , However, it is increasingly challenging to discriminate EMG signals from isotonic and isometric contractions. To address this challenge, most studies have developed various decomposition algorithms that process EMG signals originating from a multichannel configuration of two or more electrodes. ,, Although remarkable efforts have been made, the waveforms identified by the decomposition algorithms must be analyzed.…”