Multisensor Integrated Platform Based on MEMS Charge Variation Sensing Technology for Biopotential Acquisition

Abstract

We propose a new methodology for long-term biopotential recording based on an MEMS multisensor integrated platform featuring a commercial electrostatic charge-transfer sensor. This family of sensors was originally intended for presence tracking in the automotive industry, so the existing setup was engineered for the acquisition of electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, electrooculograms, and electromyography, designing a dedicated front-end and writing proper firmware for the specific application. Systematic tests on controls and nocturnal acquisitions from patients in a domestic environment will be discussed in detail. The excellent results indicate that this technology can provide a low-power, unexplored solution to biopotential acquisition. The technological breakthrough is in that it enables adding this type of functionality to existing MEMS boards at near-zero additional power consumption. For these reasons, it opens up additional possibilities for wearable sensors and strengthens the role of MEMS technology in medical wearables for the long-term synchronous acquisition of a wide range of signals.