On March 1, the Technische Universität Ilmenau is launching a research project that will enable the direct, contactless measurement of human biosignals. The contactless recording of brain activity in newborns, for example, would prevent skin irritation, injuries and infections, which can occur with conventional electrodes attached to the baby's head. The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding the project with 900,000 euros for two years as part of the CZS Wildcard program, which supports unconventional projects by interdisciplinary research groups in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences or technology.
Possible danger from conventional contact electrodes
Electroencephalography, also known as "EEG" to laypeople, is indispensable in intensive care medicine for monitoring newborn babies. However, the contact electrodes, which are attached to the baby's head with suction cups, glue or needles, can irritate the baby's sensitive skin or even cause skull deformities and, because the baby's immune protection is still weak, carry the risk of infection.
ELFISENS project: contactless measurement of biosignals
In contrast, the novel sensor system being developed in the ELFISENS project ("Electric Field Sensing of physiological activity using optical fibers") is designed to detect biosignals without touching the skin. New piezoelectric materials convert the weak bioelectric fields into tiny mechanical expansions that are measured by highly sensitive optical fiber sensors. Compared to the electrodes and cables previously used in EEGs, optical fibers are not only very thin and flexible, they also offer additional safety through electrical insulation. The tiny sensors are integrated into 3D-printed structures which, according to the researchers at TU Ilmenau, will in turn be housed in comfortable caps or even pillows or mattresses.
Revolutionizing the monitoring of biosignals
Project leader Professor Thomas Kissinger, Head of the Group of Nanofabrication and Nanomeasurement Technology, has set himself no less a goal than to revolutionize the monitoring of biosignals in electroencephalography:
