Abstract
Wearable health-monitoring systems should be comfortable, non-stigmatizing, and able to achieve high data quality. Smart textiles with electronic elements integrated directly into fabrics offer a way to embed sensors into clothing seamlessly to serve these purposes. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring with sewn textile electrodes instead of traditional gel electrodes in a 3-lead, chest-mounted configuration. The textile electrodes are sewn with silver-coated thread in an overlapping zig zag pattern into an inextensible fabric. Sensor validation included ECG monitoring and comfort surveys with human subjects, stretch testing, and wash cycling. The electrodes were tested with the BIOPAC MP160 ECG data acquisition module. Sensors were placed on 8 subjects (5 males and 3 females) with double-sided tape. To detect differences in R peak detectability between traditional and sewn sensors, effect size was set at 10% of a sample mean for heart rate (HR) and R-R interval. Paired student’s t-tests were run between adhesive and sewn electrode data for R-R interval and average HR, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was run for comfort. No statistically significant difference was found between the traditional and textile electrodes (R-R interval: t = 1.43, p > 0.1; HR: t = −0.70, p > 0.5; comfort: V = 15, p > 0.5).
Highlights
Health monitoring using wearable sensor systems is a rapidly expanding area of research that promises an increase in the availability of health data [1,2,3,4,5]
Cardiac health monitoring through electrocardiography (ECG) can be used to monitor heart-rate variability (HRV), which is an important metric for cardiac illness [6]
There are three key challenges that arise with this type of electrode: (1) adhesives can cause discomfort when left on the skin for an extended period of time; (2) the monitoring system is not well concealed and can be obvious to peers; and (3) the conductive gel within the electrodes can dry up over time, impacting the signal quality [8,9]
Summary
Health monitoring using wearable sensor systems is a rapidly expanding area of research that promises an increase in the availability of health data [1,2,3,4,5]. From the ECG signal, R-R interval (time between heartbeats) and heart rate (HR)—number of beats per minute (bpm)—can be derived These measurements differ in that R-R interval gives a beat-to-beat variation metric, while HR is an average over the course of the monitoring period. There are three key challenges that arise with this type of electrode: (1) adhesives can cause discomfort when left on the skin for an extended period of time; (2) the monitoring system is not well concealed and can be obvious to peers; and (3) the conductive gel within the electrodes can dry up over time, impacting the signal quality [8,9]. A potential solution to all three of these challenges is to fabricate “dry” electrodes that are directly integrated into clothing This type of electrode does not have any conductive gel, so it will not dry out over time. The potential advantage of dry electrodes that are textile integrated is that they are both flexible (making them more conformal to the body than traditional rigid disk electrodes) and washable, so it is feasible to use and reuse them
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