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In-service characterization of a polymer wick-based quasi-dry electrode for rapid pasteless electroencephalography

  • Paulo Pedrosa , Patrique Fiedler , Vanessa Pestana , Beatriz Vasconcelos , Hugo Gaspar , Maria H. Amaral , Diamantino Freitas , Jens Haueisen , João M. Nóbrega and Carlos Fonseca EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: May 3, 2017
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Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik
From the journal Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik Volume 63 Issue 4

Abstract

A novel quasi-dry electrode prototype, based on a polymer wick structure filled with a specially designed hydrating solution is proposed for electroencephalography (EEG) applications. The new electrode does not require the use of a conventional electrolyte paste to achieve a wet, low-impedance scalp contact. When compared to standard commercial Ag/AgCl sensors, the proposed wick electrodes exhibit similar electrochemical noise and potential drift values. Lower impedances are observed when tested in human volunteers due to more effective electrode/skin contact. Furthermore, the electrodes exhibit an excellent autonomy, displaying an average interfacial impedance of 37±11 kΩ cm2 for 7 h of skin contact. After performing bipolar EEG trials in human volunteers, no substantial differences are evident in terms of shape, amplitude and spectral characteristics between signals of wick and commercial wet electrodes. Thus, the wick electrodes can be considered suitable to be used for rapid EEG applications (electrodes can be prepared without the presence of the patient) without the traditional electrolyte paste. The main advantages of these novel electrodes over the Ag/AgCl system are their low and stable impedance (obtained without conventional paste), long autonomy, comfort, lack of dirtying or damaging of the hair and because only a minimal cleaning procedure is required after the exam.

Keywords: bioelectric sensors; dry electrode; EEG; hydrating solution; in-vivo impedance; polymer wick

Funding source: European Social Fund

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2015FGR0085

Funding source: Seventh Framework Programme

Award Identifier / Grant number: IAPP-610950

Funding statement: P. Fiedler and J. Haueisen acknowledge financial support by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (03IPT605A) and the Free State of Thuringia by funds of the European Social Fund (2015FGR0085). P. Fiedler, P. Pedrosa, H. Gaspar, B. Vasconcelos, C. Fonseca, and J. Haueisen acknowledge financial support by the German Academic Exchange Service (D/57036536). C. Fonseca acknowledges funds from FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, project PTDC/SAU-ENB/116850/2010, and J.M. Nóbrega acknowledges FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT under project UID/CTM/50025/2013. P. Pedrosa, P. Fiedler, B. Vasconcelos, J. Haueisen and C. Fonseca acknowledge financial support by the Seventh Framework Programme, (Grant / Award Number: ‘IAPP-610950’).

  1. Author Statement

  2. Research funding: P. Fiedler and J. Haueisen acknowledge financial support by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (03IPT605A) and the Free State of Thuringia by funds of the European Social Fund (2015FGR0085). P. Fiedler, P. Pedrosa, H. Gaspar, B. Vasconcelos, C. Fonseca, and J. Haueisen acknowledge financial support by the German Academic Exchange Service (D/57036536). C. Fonseca acknowledges funds from FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, project PTDC/SAU-ENB/116850/2010, and J.M. Nóbrega acknowledges FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT under project UID/CTM/50025/2013. P. Pedrosa, P. Fiedler, B. Vasconcelos, J. Haueisen and C. Fonseca acknowledge financial support by the Seventh Framework Programme, (Grant / Award Number: ‘IAPP-610950’).

  3. Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals.

  5. Ethical approval: The research related to human use complied with all the relevant national regulations and institutional policies, was performed in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the local institutional review board.

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Received: 2016-10-03
Accepted: 2017-03-28
Published Online: 2017-05-03
Published in Print: 2018-07-26

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research articles
  3. A new in vitro spine test rig to track multiple vertebral motions under physiological conditions
  4. In-service characterization of a polymer wick-based quasi-dry electrode for rapid pasteless electroencephalography
  5. Spike detection using a multiresolution entropy based method
  6. Obstacles in using a computer screen for steady-state visually evoked potential stimulation
  7. Classification of pulmonary pathology from breath sounds using the wavelet packet transform and an extreme learning machine
  8. Filtering of ECG signals distorted by magnetic field gradients during MRI using non-linear filters and higher-order statistics
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  11. In-vivo monitoring of infection via implantable microsensors: a pilot study
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  13. False spectra formation in the differential two-channel scheme of the laser Doppler flowmeter
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  16. Image-based 3D surface approximation of the bladder using structure-from-motion for enhanced cystoscopy based on phantom data
  17. Fused multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) and inverse solution method for EEG source localization
  18. Quantifying the dynamics of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to distinguish alcoholic and non-alcoholic subjects using an MSE based K-d tree algorithm
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https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt-2016-0193
Keywords for this article
bioelectric sensors; dry electrode; EEG; hydrating solution; in-vivo impedance; polymer wick

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research articles
  3. A new in vitro spine test rig to track multiple vertebral motions under physiological conditions
  4. In-service characterization of a polymer wick-based quasi-dry electrode for rapid pasteless electroencephalography
  5. Spike detection using a multiresolution entropy based method
  6. Obstacles in using a computer screen for steady-state visually evoked potential stimulation
  7. Classification of pulmonary pathology from breath sounds using the wavelet packet transform and an extreme learning machine
  8. Filtering of ECG signals distorted by magnetic field gradients during MRI using non-linear filters and higher-order statistics
  9. Failure analysis of eleven Gates Glidden drills that fractured intraorally during post space preparation. A retrieval analysis study
  10. Assessing multiple muscle activation during squat movements with different loading conditions – an EMG study
  11. In-vivo monitoring of infection via implantable microsensors: a pilot study
  12. Analysis of structural brain MRI and multi-parameter classification for Alzheimer’s disease
  13. False spectra formation in the differential two-channel scheme of the laser Doppler flowmeter
  14. A priori knowledge integration for the detection of cerebral aneurysm
  15. Is the location of the signal intensity weighted centroid a reliable measurement of fluid displacement within the disc?
  16. Image-based 3D surface approximation of the bladder using structure-from-motion for enhanced cystoscopy based on phantom data
  17. Fused multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) and inverse solution method for EEG source localization
  18. Quantifying the dynamics of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to distinguish alcoholic and non-alcoholic subjects using an MSE based K-d tree algorithm
  19. A hybrid active force control of a lower limb exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation
  20. Short communication
  21. Can somatosensory electrical stimulation relieve spasticity in post-stroke patients? A TMS pilot study
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