Wearable Neuromuscular Sensor With Spring-Mounted Moveable Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing neuromuscular recording technologies face challenges in maintaining consistent contact between electrodes and the moving body surface, leading to motion artifacts and reduced signal quality due to factors like electrode movement, body hair, and variable pressure, which affect the fidelity and consistency of neuromuscular recordings.
Innovation Solution
A wearable bioelectrical sensing device with moveable electrodes relative to their housing, allowing for rotation and translation, and a spring element to maintain contact with the skin, reducing motion artifacts and improving signal detection by adapting to body movements and conformation changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrodes are fixed in housing, then device structure is simple, but electrode contact with skin is lost during body movements causing motion artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is made movable relative to the housing through a spring mechanism, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and maintain contact with the skin during body movements. This dynamic configuration resolves the contradiction by enabling the electrode to adapt to changing conditions while preserving signal quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded electrode automatically adjusts its own position in response to skin movement or pressure changes, maintaining optimal contact without requiring external control or adjustment mechanisms. This self-adjusting capability improves signal reliability while avoiding complex control systems.
2Measurement precision
If electrode pressure on skin is increased, then contact quality improves, but comfort decreases and skin deformation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism allows the electrode pressure to be dynamically adjusted based on skin compliance and movement. The spring constant and pre-load can be optimized to provide sufficient contact pressure for signal detection while remaining below the threshold that causes skin deformation or discomfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element acts as a cushioning mechanism that absorbs excessive pressure before it reaches the skin. This pre-compression capability allows the electrode to maintain consistent contact force while preventing harmful pressure spikes that could deform the skin or cause discomfort.
3Measurement precision
If gel or paste is applied at electrode-skin interface, then conductivity improves, but application complexity and cleanup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode incorporates a disposable conductive element or coating that provides sufficient conductivity without requiring reusable gel applications. This approach eliminates the need for messy gel application and cleanup while maintaining adequate electrical contact for signal detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode uses alternative contact methods such as dry electrodes with optimized surface geometry or conductive materials that provide adequate conductivity without requiring gel or paste. This parameter change in the contact interface design simplifies application while maintaining measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the quality and consistency of neuromuscular recordings by maintaining electrode contact during body movements, reducing noise and amplifier saturation, and allowing for more flexible amplifier settings, resulting in higher signal fidelity and precision.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element configured to bias the first electrode toward the starting position of the first electrode
Data Source
AI summary
Arrangements for improving neuromuscular recording electrode contact with a body surface are described. According to some aspects, a sensor assembly may include a housing and one or more electrodes that are moveable relative to the housing. The electrodes may rotate and/or translate relative to the housing and/or have at least two degrees of freedom relative to the housing. The sensor may include a spring element that stores potential energy and biases the electrodes toward a starting position in which the electrodes extend at least partially out of the sensor housing. In some embodiments, application of a contact force to one or more of the electrodes of the sensor compresses the spring element, causing the spring element to store potential energy.