Garment function module to reduce motion artifacts in heart-activity-sensing clothing based on a magnetic-induced conductivity sensing method

Abstract

Bio-signal-sensing clothing has been actively developed worldwide. However, motion artifacts caused by a wearer’s motion degrade the bio-signal quality. A significant amount of work has been aimed at resolving this problem, but such work mainly focused on the application, rather than on the comfort, fashion, or function of the clothing. This study investigated the feasibility of reducing motion artifacts in the garment design by improving the garment function modules. To achieve this, the study comprised two parts: observation of the effect of the bodice module and that of the sleeve module. We found that the bodice module reduces motion artifacts and obtains stable signals of heart activity. Further, we found that the sleeve module reduces motion artifacts but not as significantly as the bodice module. These results suggest fundamental guidelines for applying apparel design techniques to heart-activity-sensing clothing based on the magnetic-induced sensing method.