Belt-type Wireless and Non-contact Electrocardiogram Monitoring System Using Flexible Active Electrode

Electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement using capacitively coupled electrode is a well-know method to get the ECG signal without direct skin-contact. In this paper, the belt-type system which measures ECG without direct skin-contact is designed and tested. The system consists of developed flexible active electrode (FAE), a driven-right-leg electrode and a module for signal processing and data acquisition. The FAE has the merit of enlarging contact area. It helps to increase signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to rigid and flat electrode. The measured ECG data are transmitted to a laptop computer using a Bluetooth device. The feasibility of applying the developed system to ambulatory ECG monitoring was validated by measuring ECG data during a treadmill exercise at the speed of 5km/h and 7km/h. As a result, ECG obatained from the developed wearable belt-type system was stable if a person was in a state without excessive motion. Our system is wireless and capable of non-contact ECG measurement so that it is adequate for long-term ECG monitoring.

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