Systematic review of textile-based electrodes for long-term and continuous surface electromyography recording

Abstract

This systematic review concerns the use of smart textiles enabled applications based on myoelectric activity. Electromyography (EMG) is the technique for recording and evaluating electric signals related to muscle activity (myoelectric). EMG is a well-established technique that provides a wealth of information for clinical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Introducing sensor systems that allow for ubiquitous monitoring of health conditions using textile integrated solutions not only opens possibilities for ambulatory, long-term, and continuous health monitoring outside the hospital, but also for autonomous self-administration. Textile-based electrodes have demonstrated potential as a fully operational alternative to 'standard' Ag/AgCl electrodes for recording surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. As a substitute for Ag/AgCl electrodes fastened to the skin by taping or pre-gluing adhesive, textile-based electrodes have the advantages of being soft, flexible, and air permeable; thus, they have advantages in medicine and health monitoring, especially when selfadministration, real-time, and long-term monitoring is required. Such advances have been achieved through various smart textile techniques; for instance, adding functions in textiles, including fibers, yarns, and fabrics, and various methods for incorporating functionality into textiles, such as knitting, weaving, embroidery, and coating. In this work, we reviewed articles from a textile perspective to provide an overview of sEMG applications enabled by smart textile strategies. The overview is based on a literature evaluation of 41 articles published in both peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings focusing on electrode materials, fabrication methods, construction, and sEMG applications. We introduce four textile integration levels to further describe the various textile electrode sEMG applications reported in the reviewed literature. We conclude with suggestions for future work along with recommendations for the reporting of essential benchmarking information in current and future textile electrode applications.

Dry Epidermal Electrodes Can Provide Long-Term High Fidelity Electromyography for Limited Dynamic Lower Limb Movements

“…The intersubject variability of acceptable Signal Quality Index values could still pose challenges for interpreting muscle activation patterns and developing robust EMG-based devices [39][40][41]. Despite advancements in epidermal electrode designs, motion artifacts remain a significant challenge for epidermal electrodes, particularly for dynamic applications such as myoelectric control of lower limb exoskeletons and prostheses, which is an area of application where long-term EMG signals would be beneficial [42][43][44].…”

Nanomaterials-patterned flexible electrodes for wearable health monitoring: a review

“…is critical to fabricate electrodes and interconnects without affecting the textiles during curing process. Although printing even pattern on textile is difficult than thin film substrates, ink penetration through micro-capillaries results in better anchoring than films [ 44 ]. The popular printing techniques used for electrode fabrication are discussed in details in the following sections.…”

“…Electrocardiogram (ECG), Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electromyogram (EMG), Electrooculogram (EOG) are the common biopotentials that operate on the principle of measuring the variation in electrical potential due to heart, brain, muscle, and ocular activity [ 250 ]. Wearable textile-based electrodes can be used to develop home-based or remote monitoring protocol with minimal interruption in normal life and can significantly reduce clinical visits and costs by continuously monitoring these biopotentials [ 44 ]. Signal acquisition and processing play a crucial role in the health-care system by providing information essential for the diagnosis and monitoring process.…”

Textile Electrodes: Influence of Knitting Construction and Pressure on the Contact Impedance

“…By this, smart textiles find use in various application fields, including protection and security, energy, and transportation, and not least the healthcare sector. A wide variety of sensors and actuators based on textiles are possible today, most of which are based on incorporation of electrical conductivity, which can be realized by various means, e.g., by conductive particles in inks or coating pastes, or by conductive fibers or yarns to construct fabrics and nonwovens [ 3 , 4 ]. Based on this technology, current research is investigating possibilities for manufacturing textile surface electrodes [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], also referred to as textrodes, to be used for instance in the healthcare sector, providing opportunities for home-based electrotherapy and self-administered monitoring of body functions [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”