18th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Amsterdam 1996

1.7.2: Telemetry I1

Active Wireless Electrodes for Surface Electromyography

Masayuki Ohyama, Y utaka Tomita, Satoshi Honda, Hitoshi Uchida", Noriyoshi Matsuo*

Keio University, 3- 14-1Hiyoshi, Kohoku, Yokohama 223, Japan : oyama@sparclt.inst.keio.ac.jp

* Suzuki Motor Corporation, 2-1Sakura-Namiki, Midori, Yokohama, 226 Japan
A b s b t - An active electrode with a built-in trans- /Wireless Electrode
mitter (named wireless electrode) is presented, which I I
derives surface EMG without any skin preparation
and conductive paste due to impedance transforming.
Subjects are less restricted with the present wireless
electrode than with the conventional telemetry system
because of no connecting wires between the electrode and
the transmitter. Moreover, it is not affected by noise
caused by the movement of wires. *I receiver 4 AID

INTRODUCTION

Today, a wireless electromyograph that reflects muscle AM20 V+p

action potentials becomes popular because of the advance of
IC technology. For example, the 8ch multitelemeter (NIHON
KOHDEN Co., Ltd.) becomes smaller and lightcr (130 X 85
X 30 (mm), 250 8). But an electrode is connected with a
transmitter by wires. In the multichannel measurement and
hard movement such as in athletic scicncc, the connecting
wires limit subjects' free movement. In addition, those give
trouble in the measurement of physiological phenomena to
both subjects and observers [l], [23.
In this paper, an active electrode with a built-in transmitter
for surface FMG is described.
STRUCTURE OF THE WIRELESS ELECTRODE
Presenting wireless electrode is composed of Ag/AgCl
disposable electrode terminals that are detachable, an am-
plifier, a hi-pass filter, a transmitter and a power supply.
The block diagram of the electromyography is shown in
Fig. 1. We used an instrumentation amplifier (AD620BR,
SOIC type, 5 X 4 X 1.75 (mm) ). That also operates as an
impedance transformer due to the high input impedance
compared with human skin resistance and very low output
impedance [3]. In the first stage of the instrumentation
amplifier, the signal is AC - coupled, as depicted in Fig. 2.
Frequency modulation ( 76 - 90 MHz) transmitter is used,
and the frequency is adjusted by a t r i m e r capacitor. The
electromagnetic wave is generated by a coil as an antenna.
Five button battery cells are used for a powcr supply.
.-... I
V-A
Fig.2. The electric circuit of the amplifier.
One is oxidized silver cell for the transmitter (1.5 V, # 7.9,
t 5.4 ), and the others are lithium for the amplifier (313.0X
2 V, # 10, t 2.5 ). An FM radio was used as a receiver.
Structure of the wireless electrode is shown in Fig. 3. It
is composed of two layers : power supply later, amplifier-
transmitter one. EMGs are recorded bipolarly. All the elec-
trodes are detachable.
RESULTS
The simultaneous recordings from a human biceps brachii
muscle before and after transmission are shown in Fig. 4, and
frequency characteristics'of the wireless electrode in Fig. 5.
There was neither time lag nor distortions in the trans-
mitted waveform. EMGs are transmitted at the distance of
20 m without obstacles. Circuit currents in the amplifier and
the transmitter are 0.5 mA and 4.8 mA rcspectively.

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 18th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Amsterdam 1996
1.7.2: Telemetry I1

Top view of
Brst layer
-m * 1
3
Top view of
’ snap for a reference electrode 50 t 1
I . .. . . . . I
d
25 10 100 Ik
Sideview , I Frequency [Hz]

FigS. Frequency characteristics of the wireless electrode.

The conventional telemetry system is easily affected by the

& movement of its lead wires, while the present system does not
v\ Disposable electrodes 7 have such a drawback.
30 Since the input impedance of this electrode is high,
Bottom view k biopotential signal is not affected by skin resistance. In fact,

Snaps -+
Fig.3. Structure of the wireless electrode.
12. we derived the surface potential without skin preparation
and without conductive paste. Moreover, there are no wires
connected with an electrode and a transmitter. Hence, we
have reduced the burden of both observers and subjects.
Thus, this system with a commercially available E M radio as
the receiver is suited to not only the human movement
analysis using an EMG signal, but the physiological measure-
-
L o
ment. Since the output power of the transmitter is low, legal
license is not required in Japan.
4
a
1....!.!.! .....u..:.. ::.
...............
11
!!I..........
1.1.........
1 . 1
,..
!.p !.::.!I ....1
.I.....
:. We believe that the wireless electrode becomes smaller
and lighter by the IC technology advancement. T h s system
can be applied widely, for example, the measurement for
ECG, EEG, etc. We expect that it will be used in various
studies and experiments.

REFERENCES
I.”
I
0 200 400 [l] S. Shibayama, and M. Hirano, “Electrodes, Sensors and
Time (ms] Telemetry in Athletic Science,” Japanese Journal o j
Medical Electronics and Biological Engineering, v01.2,
Fig.4. EMG waveforms (G: 140) : derived by the active
No.4, pp. 224-230.1988.
electrode (a) before transmission, (b) af‘ter transmission.
[2] G. Matsumoto, “Biotelemetry,” Japanese Journal of
Therefore, button battery cells operate about 15 hours Medical Electronics and Biological Engineering, vol. 18,
theoretically. No.7,pp. 463-467, 1980.
131 S. Nishimura, Y. Tomita, and T. Horiuchi, “Clinical
DISCUSSION Application of an Active Electrode Using an Operational
Amplifier, ’’ IEEE Trans. Biomed.Eng., vol. BME-39,
We presented an active electrode with a built-in trans-
pp. 1096-1099,1992.
mitter.

. $ . . .

296
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