3D printed flexible substrate with pneumatic driven electrodes for health monitoring

Telemedical methods enable remote patient monitoring and healthcare at a distance. Besides, fitness tracker and sport watches are currently trending electronic products to generate awareness of health parameters in daily life. Especially, the long-term and continuous measurement of electrophysiological signals such as electrocardiogramm (ECG) becomes increasingly attractive for telemedical applications. Typically used disposable Ag/AgCl wet electrodes for good skin-electrode contact can potentially cause skin irritation and rashes. This paper presents a low cost, individual and flexible substrate for skin electrodes to be applied in future consumer electronic or professional applications. It enables an alternative contact method of the electrode to the skin by applying a pressure during the measurement and hence good contact. If no measurement is needed pressure can be released and the electrode loses skin contact. The 3D printed polymer module is 4 mm thick and comprises a pressure chamber, silver electrodes and insulation layer. The airtight printed membrane of flexible filament, which expands when inflating the chamber, may be printed in different thicknesses and shapes, much thinner than the present 4mm. This enables a high individuality for various applications. Pressure up to 150 kPa was applied and leads to dilatation of 1400 μm. First tests on skin when measuring electrodermal activity (EDA) show promising results for future applications.