Soft Wireless EOG Headband With Dry Electrodes for Persistent HMI
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing human-machine interface (HMI) systems and electrooculogram (EOG) measurements face challenges such as skin irritation from gel electrodes, limited durability, and the need for bulky infrared sensors that obstruct vision, while current EOG systems struggle with accuracy and practicality for prolonged use.
Innovation Solution
A wearable EOG system with a low-profile, soft headband using dry nanomembrane electrodes and flexible wireless circuits, combined with an AI-based controller employing convolutional neural networks to classify eye movements for control operations, providing high accuracy and minimizing skin irritation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If gel electrodes are used for EOG measurements, then measurement precision is improved, but skin irritation occurs and durability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the electrode material from gel-based to dry nanomembrane structure. This parameter change maintains electrical conductivity while eliminating the harmful gel substance that causes skin irritation, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and skin comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials including nanomembranes, conductive polymers, and flexible substrates to create a dry electrode that achieves both high measurement precision and skin-friendly properties. The composite structure integrates multiple functional materials to simultaneously provide electrical conductivity, flexibility, and biocompatibility.
2Measurement precision
If infrared sensors are used for eye tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and vision is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the eye tracking function from complex infrared sensor systems and implements it through simplified EOG measurements using dry electrodes. This extraction eliminates the need for bulky infrared sensors while maintaining eye movement detection capability, thereby reducing device complexity and removing vision obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the optical-mechanical infrared sensor system with an electrical measurement system based on EOG. This substitution uses electrical fields instead of optical fields, eliminating the need for complex optical components and mechanical adjustment mechanisms, thus simplifying the overall system.
3Manufacturing precision
If rigid electronics are used for wearable EOG, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability decreases and comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible thin films including nanomembranes and flexible circuit boards to replace rigid electronic components. These flexible materials can conform to various head shapes and sizes, providing high adaptability while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized flexible electronics fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the electronic system with dynamic flexibility, allowing the rigid circuit boards to be bent and shaped to fit different users' heads. The flexible electronics can dynamically adapt to various佩戴 conditions while maintaining electrical connectivity and signal quality.
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 system achieves 98.3% accuracy in classifying ocular movements and enables persistent, real-time control of devices without cameras, offering improved comfort and durability by using dry electrodes and flexible circuits, suitable for healthcare, communication, and consumer electronics applications.
Implementation Method 1
Electrooculograms (EOG) include measurements of electrical potentials between the front and rear of the human eye. These electrical potentials can be used for evaluating the health of an eye, or detecting diseases or other conditions of the eye. EOG measurements can measure an eye's position based on a potential difference between electrodes placed around the eye
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary system includes a set of electrooculogram (EOG) sensors, each including an array of flexible electrodes fabricated on a flexible-circuit substrate, the flexible-circuit substrate operatively connected to an analog-to-digital converter circuitry operatively connected to a wireless interface circuitry; and a brain-machine interface operatively connected to the set of EOG sensors, the brain-machine interface including: a processor; and a memory operatively connected to the processor, the memory having instructions stored thereon, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to: receive EOG signals acquired from the EOG sensors; continuously classify brain signals as control signals via a trained neural network from the acquired EOG signals; and output the control signals.