SBIR Phase II: No Preparation, Flexible, Dry Physiological Recording Electrodes

本小型企业创新研究二期项目旨在完成一种低成本、无需制备、柔性干燥生理记录电极的开发。这些电极通过减少获得良好信号所需的时间和准备以及降低制造高质量电极的总成本，具有显著提高护理质量和降低生物电位信号分析总成本的潜力。第一阶段的结果表明，在低成本的柔性衬底上制造刚性衬底上的干电极结构是可行的。然而，需要进一步的工作来优化制造工艺，并确保选择成本最低、性能最高的柔性干电极系统和制造工艺，为未来的使用奠定坚实的基础。该二期项目的主要目标包括平行开发两种特别有前途的制造技术，选择一种制造技术进行进一步开发，以及在临床环境中测试和评估干电极的能力。该项目的商业应用将在临床环境中对患者进行生理监测。诸如ECG（心电图）、EMG（肌电图）和EEG（脑电图）等生理测量预计将受益于干电极的使用，部分原因是由于使用电极所需的时间和准备工作减少，部分原因是由于在测量过程中消除了磨蚀性皮肤准备和电解凝胶。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to complete the development of a low-cost, no preparation required, flexible dry physiological recording electrode. These electrodes have the potential to significantly improve quality of care and reduce total cost of biopotential signal analysis by reducing the time and preparation required to obtain a good signal and reducing the total cost of fabricating high quality electrodes. The Phase I results showed feasibility of fabricating dry electrode structures on rigid substrates onto low-cost flexible substrates. However, further work is necessary to optimize the fabrication processes and to ensure that the lowest cost and highest performing flexible dry electrode systems and fabrication processes are chosen to establish a solid foundation for future use. The key objectives of this Phase II project include parallel development of two particularly promising fabrication techniques, selection of a single fabrication technique for further development, and testing and evaluation of the capabilities of the dry electrodes in clinical environments. The commercial applications of this project will be in the area of physiological monitoring of patients in a clinical setting. Physiological measurements such as ECG (electrocardiogram), EMG (electromyogram), and EEG (electroencephalogram) are expected to benefit from the use of dry electrodes, in part due to the reduced time and preparation needed to apply the electrodes and in part, due to the elimination of abrasive skin prepping and electrolytic gels in the measurement procedure.