Ballpoint-Pen Like Probes for Multipoint Dynamic Pulse Diagnosis System

Abstract

The radial artery pulse on the wrist is a non-invasive and reliable index for health monitoring, and is important diagnosis basis for traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. Digitalization of pulse signals is an important way to develop healthcare big data and implement traditional Chinese medicine theories. However, collecting all the characteristics of human pulse with high fidelity remains a challenge. In this paper, we proposed a capacitive pulse diagnosis system with a novel ballpoint pen-like probe structure, and electromechanical control modules to effectively collect pulse condition characteristics. The ballpoint pen-like probe has low-friction contact with the skin surface, which can precisely locate the pulse points of maximum intensity with the assistance of the x-y stage, and accurately record the pulse waveform with excellent signal quality. This design provided a new approach to digitalize the cognitive category of traditional Chinese medicine, and opportunities to better understand and analyze the physiological signals in health monitoring and disease treatment applications.