Module for the acquisition and processing of biological signals related to the emotional state

Medical, artistic and social applications of biomedical signals benefit from the possibility of measuring a person's emotional state, and of creating, through biofeedback techniques, a personal dynamic interaction with the environment. This paper describes a wearable microsensor module used to acquire and preprocess biological signals that are directly related to one's emotional state in daily activities. The main circuit includes a skin galvanic sensor, a breathing sensor, and an electrocardiograph with three electrodes. The acquired signals are treated by independent instrumentation amplifiers and digitized by a dedicated microcontroller at an acquisition/preprocessing board. The module and the enhanced application for Networked Communications in Biomedical Engineering and ubiquitous computing reinvent the sense of presence in the physical world when wearing a BWAS - Biocybrid Wearable Art System. Ontological levels of creative reality and phenomenological framework using embedded systems and the ways of using hardware and software are discussed. The results intend future industry developments of devices to enhance and to supplement the human perceptive and affective human condition. The identification and interpretation of appropriate models for art, communication, aesthetic, design, fashion, health, personal security or other applications are challenges for insightful discussions of the role of engineers, physiologists, artists, educators, social scientists, as well as of ethnographic methods and practices.