ECG Dry-electrode 3D Printing and Signal Quality Considerations

A single-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) sensor with 3D printed dry electrodes is developed and tested for short-term wireless ECG monitoring. In a first of its kind approach, a 3D printer and available cost-effective conductive plastics are used to manufacture dry electrodes that can detect an ECG when placed on the chest. The electrodes could be produced in less than 10 minutes and with minimal material resources. To demonstrate the utility of the newly developed sensor, 30-second, 1 and 5-minute recordings are captured and statistically analyzed using established Signal Quality Indices (SQIs) for consumer and medical-grade ECG applications. Heart rate (HR) algorithmic considerations for dry electrode ECG is also explored. The performance of the proposed dry electrode ECG is reliable for HR estimations similar to wet-electrode ECG measurements. The obtained ECG signals demonstrated acceptable quality with Signal to Noise Ratios (SNRs) ranging around 13 dB and Kurtosis Signal Quality Index (kSQI) from approximately 18 to 21. Also, visually, the QRS complexes and T-wave features of an ECG were easily identifiable. These dry electrodes are feasible low-cost rapid manufacturing solutions for single-lead ECG monitoring that takes into consideration the added benefit of better patient comfortability, good quality ECG content and minimum cost for electrode development.