Printed facial skin electrodes as sensors of emotional affect

Lilah Inzelberg*, Moshe David Pur, Stefan Schlisske, Tobias Rödlmeier, Omer Granoviter, David Rand, Stanislav Steinberg, Gerardo Hernandez-Sosa, Yael Hanein

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Electromyography of the zygomaticus major and the corrugator supercilii muscles is a well-established technique to capture positive and negative emotional affect. Despite the great potential, its wide adoption has been so far limited owing to several lingering technical limitations in contemporary electromyography electrodes. In this paper, we report on new printed electrode arrays, specifically designed to capture emotional affect, focusing on their unique and advantageous properties compared with conventional gelled electrodes. Inkjet- or screen-printing, combined with film cutting and lamination techniques, were used to produce customized electrode arrays. Conformity with the skin was guaranteed by printing on very thin and soft films. Unlike conventional gelled-surface electromyography electrodes, the printed electrode arrays are dry, allowing long-term and stable recording. Moreover, the large electrode arrays can be rapidly and conveniently placed on the subject's face, maintaining excellent electrode-skin compliance. Muscle localization was achieved despite inter-subject variability in facial features and electrode array position, as a result of high spatial resolution and source separation methodology. The presented electrode arrays open new opportunities in brain-machine interfacing, well-being investigations and mood monitoring.

Original languageEnglish
Article number045001
JournalFlexible and Printed Electronics
Volume3
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2018

Funding

FundersFunder number
Sagol School of Neuroscience
European Commission
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung03X5526
Israel Science Foundation1355/17
Tel Aviv University

    Keywords

    • dry electrodes
    • emotional affect electrode array
    • inkjet-printing
    • printed electrode array
    • screen-printing
    • skin electronics
    • surface electromyography

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Printed facial skin electrodes as sensors of emotional affect'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this