Knitted ECG Electrodes in Relaxed Fitting Garments

Abstract

A wide range of signal quality indices (SQIs) related to statistical methods are used to guide the optimization process of knitted textile electrodes for electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. The electrode structure and composition as well as their integration into a garment are evaluated in view of a fully knitted garment. The dry electrodes with the best SQIs are obtained by using conductive yarn only with a compact knit structure and a medium level of roughness. The best SQIs for the e-garment were obtained by sewing electrodes at their edges only, into the knitted garment. This implementation outperforms the intarsia and double-knit method as it allows the garment some independent movement from the electrodes, reducing motion artifacts. Tests done on a healthy volunteer demonstrate excellent system performance under gentle ambulation. The advantage of using SQIs in the optimization process of dry textile ECG electrodes is that they offer a quantitative benchmark against which to compare other approaches. The fully knitted clothing allows for more relaxed e-garments when gentle ambulation is considered.