Fabrication of Parylene-Coated Microneedle Array Electrode for Wearable ECG Device

Abstract

Microneedle array electrodes (MNE) showed immense potential for the sensitive monitoring of the bioelectric signals by penetrating the stratum corneum with high electrical impedance. In this paper, we introduce a rigid parylene coated microneedle electrode array and portable electrocardiography (ECG) circuit for monitoring of ECG reducing the motion artifacts. The developed MNE showed stability and durability for dynamic and long-term ECG monitoring in comparison to the typical silver-silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) wet electrodes. The microneedles showed no mechanical failure under the compression force up-to 16 N, but successful penetration of skin tissue with a low insertion force of 5 N. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated MNE were characterized by impedance spectroscopy with equivalent circuit model. The designed wearable wireless ECG monitoring device with MNE proved feasibility of the ECG recording which reduces the noise of movement artifacts during dynamic behaviors.

Microneedle Array Electrode-Based Wearable EMG System for Detection of Driver Drowsiness through Steering Wheel Grip

“…A driving simulation system from Logitech (International S.A.) was used to set the driving environment, as shown in Figure 1 c. MNE from a previous study [ 23 ] was used to acquire the EMG signal from the skin by a minimally invasive procedure. Ag/AgCl monitoring electrodes from 3M Health Care (Seoul, Korea) were also used.…”

“…To measure EMG, a previously presented AD8232 integrated circuit-based bio measurement device (Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, USA) was used after some component modifications to increase the frequency band for EMG signal monitoring [ 23 ]. Since the EMG signal is very low in amplitude, it needed to be amplified before any digitization.…”

“…Additionally, an amplitude shift-based driver drowsiness detection algorithm is proposed to detect and alert the driver in real time. Considering the recent trend in MNE-based wearable technology, we investigated the previously presented MNE shown in Figure 1 b to acquire an EMG signal during the driving simulation task [ 23 ]. The signal acquired with minimally invasive MNE is highly comparable with the one obtained with a wet Ag/AgCl electrode, which shows MNE promise for quality EMG signal monitoring.…”

A Real-Time Wearable Physiological Monitoring System for Home-Based Healthcare Applications

“…Various forms of physiological monitoring devices are commercially available but most of them are designed for recreational purposes. Most of recently developed monitoring devices lack the compactness [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] and wireless connectivity [ 22 ] which is essential for everyday wearable application. Other monitoring devices are limited to a single ECG or EMG channel [ 15 , 17 , 23 , 24 ] and a long-term stability test including the interference study is left out [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 24 ].…”

Special Issue: ECG Monitoring System

“…In another manuscript, Satti et al [ 4 ] introduce a rigid parylene-coated microneedle electrode array coupled with a portable ECG circuit. The newly designed wearable wireless ECG monitoring device reduces the noise due to movement artifacts and, as such, proves to be particularly useful for ECG recording during dynamic behaviors.…”