Design of smart-textiles for segmental bio-impedance measurement of the leg.

Recently there have been significant interest in the design of textile-based electrodes which can be integrated into clothing to provide a convenient and repeatable measurement technique without the need for excessive patient effort. This study focuses on the development of textile-based electrodes for bio-impedance spectroscopy, a method used to measure body composition and fluid volumes. Our work involved testing different electrode materials, surface area, spacing, and polymer coatings to improve signal quality and durability. The results demonstrated that silver-based electrodes had the best performance, with strong correlations (r ² =0.68-0.89, p<0.001) to the gold-standard gel-based electrodes in calculating resistance values. The textile electrodes exhibited consistent results over long-duration testing and were able to detect fluid changes in the legs, imposed by postural changes. However, challenges such as variability due to skin hydration and hair density were observed. Future work will focus on further optimization, including electrode size reduction for cost-effectiveness and the application of electrodes into a sock design. Overall, the study highlights the potential of textile-based electrodes for bio-impedance measurements and their potential for home-based monitoring of fluid-related conditions.