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Soft, curved electrode systems capable of integration on the auricle as a persistent brain–computer interface

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [5];  [12];  [13];  [14];  [7];  [15];  [4];  [5]
  1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Neuroscience Program; Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
  2. Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Life Science Engineering and Dept. of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
  3. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  4. Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
  5. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  6. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
  7. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and Center for Engineering and Health and Skin Disease Research Center
  8. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering
  9. Google Inc., Mountain View, CA (United States)
  10. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
  11. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
  12. Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL (United States). Feinberg School of Medicine
  13. Inst. of High Performance Computing, Connexis (Singapore)
  14. Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  15. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Some recent advances in electrodes for noninvasive recording of electroencephalograms expand opportunities collecting such data for diagnosis of neurological disorders and brain–computer interfaces. Existing technologies, but, cannot be used effectively in continuous, uninterrupted modes for more than a few days due to irritation and irreversible degradation in the electrical and mechanical properties of the skin interface. We introduce a soft, foldable collection of electrodes in open, fractal mesh geometries that can mount directly and chronically on the complex surface topology of the auricle and the mastoid, to provide high-fidelity and long-term capture of electroencephalograms in ways that avoid any significant thermal, electrical, or mechanical loading of the skin. Experimental and computational studies establish the fundamental aspects of the bending and stretching mechanics that enable this type of intimate integration on the highly irregular and textured surfaces of the auricle. Furthermore, cell level tests and thermal imaging studies establish the biocompatibility and wearability of such systems, with examples of high-quality measurements over periods of 2 wk with devices that remain mounted throughout daily activities including vigorous exercise, swimming, sleeping, and bathing. Demonstrations include a text speller with a steady-state visually evoked potential-based brain–computer interface and elicitation of an event-related potential (P300 wave).

Research Organization:
Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States); Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0005436
OSTI ID:
1356186
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 112; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Next-generation probes, particles, and proteins for neural interfacing journal June 2017
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Trends and Challenges in Neuroengineering: Toward “Intelligent” Neuroprostheses through Brain-“Brain Inspired Systems” Communication journal September 2016
The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface: Progress Beyond Communication and Control journal November 2016
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Hearables: Multimodal physiological in-ear sensing preprint January 2016
An adaptive singular spectrum analysis method for extracting brain rhythms of electroencephalography journal June 2017
A Materials Roadmap to Functional Neural Interface Design journal July 2017
Direct Fabrication of Stretchable Electronics on a Polymer Substrate with Process‐Integrated Programmable Rigidity journal October 2018
Ultrathin Organic Electrochemical Transistor with Nonvolatile and Thin Gel Electrolyte for Long‐Term Electrophysiological Monitoring journal September 2019
Emerging Soft Conductors for Bioelectronic Interfaces journal November 2019
Recent Advances in Flexible and Stretchable Bio-Electronic Devices Integrated with Nanomaterials journal January 2016
Plasticizing Silk Protein for On-Skin Stretchable Electrodes journal March 2018
Flexible Hybrid Electronics for Digital Healthcare journal June 2019
Mechanically‐Guided Structural Designs in Stretchable Inorganic Electronics journal July 2019
Multiscale Soft–Hard Interface Design for Flexible Hybrid Electronics journal August 2019
Material‐Based Approaches for the Fabrication of Stretchable Electronics journal April 2020
Disruptive, Soft, Wearable Sensors journal November 2019
Cyber–Physiochemical Interfaces journal January 2020
Biocompatible Collagen Films as Substrates for Flexible Implantable Electronics journal July 2015
Soft surface electrode based on PDMS-CB conductive polymer for electrocardiogram recordings journal November 2019
Soft dry electroophthalmogram electrodes for human machine interaction journal November 2019
Wearable EEG and beyond journal January 2019
A study of SSVEP from below-the-hairline areas in low-, medium-, and high-frequency ranges journal March 2019
Tissue–electronics interfaces: from implantable devices to engineered tissues journal November 2017
Inflammation-free, gas-permeable, lightweight, stretchable on-skin electronics with nanomeshes journal July 2017
Large-area MRI-compatible epidermal electronic interfaces for prosthetic control and cognitive monitoring journal February 2019
Toward a new generation of smart skins journal April 2019
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Fully portable and wireless universal brain–machine interfaces enabled by flexible scalp electronics and deep learning algorithm journal September 2019
Wearable sensors: modalities, challenges, and prospects journal January 2018
Fabric-based self-powered noncontact smart gloves for gesture recognition journal January 2018
Emerging intraoral biosensors journal January 2020
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Graphene-based flexible and wearable electronics journal January 2018
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Sensor Modalities for Brain-Computer Interface Technology: A Comprehensive Literature Review journal July 2019
Analysis of miniaturization effects and channel selection strategies for EEG sensor networks with application to auditory attention detection journal April 2019
Analysis of Miniaturization Effects and Channel Selection Strategies for EEG Sensor Networks With Application to Auditory Attention Detection journal January 2020
Epidermal electronics for noninvasive, wireless, quantitative assessment of ventricular shunt function in patients with hydrocephalus journal October 2018
Enhancing the Usability of Brain-Computer Interface Systems journal June 2019
Inorganic dissolvable electronics: materials and devices for biomedicine and environment journal August 2016
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Concealed, Unobtrusive Ear-Centered EEG Acquisition: cEEGrids for Transparent EEG journal April 2017

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