Ambulatory monitoring of ECG signals using textile electrodes

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Continuous monitoring of physiological signals under ambulatory conditions is essential under the paradigm of remote medical monitoring and telemedicine, especially among the aging population. Several products have been tested under laboratory conditions using wearable health monitoring devices, either augmented or embedded within the clothing systems. Nevertheless, the challenge of devising a reliable and robust system that is immune to artifacts, caused by relative motion between the sensors and the physical body landmarks, still remains under research investigations. Furthermore, these sensorembedded clothing systems are limited in their prolonged wearability, making them restrictive for continuous ambulatory monitoring. This research attempts to address the signal reliability and wearability problems associated with the embedded clothing systems from the perspectives of fabric construction properties, sensor integration and garment design. We propose (i) a novel system of garment construction using an approach called componentized maximum stretchable orientation (MSO), and (ii) an embedded electrode with conductive fabric to monitor human ECG signals. Results show that the system is capable of obtaining reliable signal under conditions of walking, with high signal-to-noise ratio.