E-Textile Garment Simulation to Improve ECG Data Quality

Achieving accurate fit and body contact pressure is one of the key issues in designing e-textiles such as electrocardiogram (ECG) sensing garments, in which ECG signal quality is dependent on the contact pressure of the electrodes on the skin. While this is a known mechanism, few strategies exist for predictive design as fabrics' body contact pressure response with strain is unique to the fabric's composition and structure. In this work, we propose a technique using 3D garment simulation to predict the body contact pressure of an ECG armband with screen printed Ag/AgCl electrodes. The contact pressure response with strain is evaluated for seven different polyester-spandex jersey knit fabrics. The effects of strain on the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and average R-peak height are measured for armbands of two different fabrics and five sizes. This technique shows potential to improve ECG data quality and shorten the prototyping process for compressive e-textile garments.