Fabric circuit board-based dry electrode and its characteristics for long-term physiological signal recording

Abstract

This paper presents a dry fabric electrode and its characteristics. For long-term physiological signal monitoring, conventional wet type electrode such as an Ag/AgCl electrode may not be sufficient, because captured signal strength degrades over time as its electrolyte dehydrates. Moreover, the electrolyte may cause skin irritation over a period of time. As a complement, a dry electrode can be used. In this work, fabric-based dry electrodes are introduced. Planar-Fabric Circuit Board (P-FCB) technology enables low cost and uniform productions of such electrodes; electrical properties of the electrodes with various materials, sizes, and time are shown. Both the strengths and drawbacks of the fabric-based electrodes are also discussed.