Wireless Device for Biomedical Signal Acquisition with Dry Electrodes on an e-Bike

Abstract

With the advent of ubiquitous computing and the widespread availability of advanced low-power embedded processors and systems-on-chip (SoCs), wearable devices find their way into a large number of practical applications. Recent technological advances enabled the widespread use of various types of biomedical devices for monitoring everyday human activities. Fitness trackers are now particularly popular devices that provide users valuable and useful insights into their state of fitness, health, and wellness, thus enabling a better quality of life and serving an important public health goal of preventing unwanted health conditions later in life. On the other hand, there has been a rising interest in e-mobility and particularly micromobility, not only in the context of green transition and global climate changes, but also because of the rising awareness of the importance of physical activity in everyday life. This paper presents an innovative measurement solution that integrates a biomedical signal tracker into a modern design of an e-bike to allow automatic signal acquisition, without the need for a driver to wear any device directly on a body. The main challenge was how to design a system that would have a minimal impact on user experience and allow biosignals acquisition from bicycle handles. The proposed system consists of a specialized biomedical analog front-end, dry electrodes in direct contact with skin, a processor unit, and Bluetooth Low Energy interface to a smart device. It was experimentally demonstrated that the proposed device is capable of acquiring respiration signals, as well as electrocardiogram (ECG) signals during normal cycling operation with a minimum impact on user experience.