A Graphene-Based Sleep Mask for Comfortable Wearable Eye Tracking

Abstract

We present a new wearable electrooculogram (EOG) monitor for measuring eye movements. We fabricated conductive and flexible graphene-based textiles from nylon to use as a sensing electrode, which we then integrated into a commercially available eye mask held in place only with the standard elastic strap. We tested this mask on 4 participants to quantify the noise floor and show that we can detect eye blinks to a high SNR of over 16 dB. We also identify that the material can detect other eye movements in cases when the noise floor is low. As our system is held in place with only an elastic strap it offers the same level of comfort as when wearing a normal eye mask. Our sensors offer an increased level of comfort over conventional gelled electrodes traditionally used in EOG monitoring and may be of use for comfortable eye movement experiments. This is particularly important during sleep studies where the EOG is routinely monitored, but using bulky instrumentation.

Methodologies and Wearable Devices to Monitor Biophysical Parameters Related to Sleep Dysfunctions: An Overview

“…However, scientific groups and companies developed a new category of wearable devices and accessories, such as eyewear, masks, devices positioned on the nose, etc., to track sleep and determine its quality. In [39], C. Beach et al proposed a new electrooculogram device that may be worn to track eye movements. The authors integrated into a traditional eye mask, kept in place merely by the conventional elastic strap, a sensing electrode made by conductive graphene-based textiles from nylon, simply sewing nylon fabric into the unmodified mask using non-conductive polyester thread.…”