Evaluation of silver-coated textile electrodes for ECG recording

Ag/AgCl gelled electrodes are often used for the ECG measurement, but they are not suitable for long-term monitoring due to dehydration of the gel over time and skin irritation. Textile-based electrodes could have an important role in replacing the gelled electrodes and avoid their associated problems. This study aims to measure ECG using silver-printed and embroidered textile electrodes and compare them against Ag/AgCl electrodes. ECG signals measured at the static condition and slow walking were analyzed and compared based on signal morphology, HR, and R-R interval. The results revealed that signals measured using all electrodes have visible P, QRS, and T waves, but in comparison, the embroidered textile electrodes have higher R-peak amplitude (1.28mV) compared to silver printed textile and standard Ag/AgCl electrodes both at static and dynamic conditions. During walking, some distortion of signals was observed that would be due to unstable skin-electrode contact.