Journal of Medical Systems
Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence
EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing
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New sensor technologies open possibilities for measuring traditional biosignals in new innovative ways. This, together with the development of signal processing systems and their increasing computing power, can sometimes give new life to old measurement techniques. Ballistocardiogram (BCG) is one such technique, originally promising but later replaced by the now very popular electrocardiogram. It's usability was previously limited by the large size of the devices required to record it, and the complex nature of the recorded signal, which gave little information in visual inspection. In this paper, we present how a lightweight and flexible electromechanical film (EMFi) sensor can be used to record BCG. A ballistocardiographic chair, designed to look like a normal office chair, was built and fitted with two sensitive EMFi sensors. Two different measurement setups to record the signal from the EMFi sensors were developed. The first, so-called wired setup, uses a commercial bio-amplifier, and a special pre-amplifier to interface to it. The latter, so-called wireless setup, uses our own hardware to transmit the recorded digitized signals wirelessly to a nearby PC. Both of these systems are presented and their performance evaluated. Also, the suitability, limitations and advantages of the EMFi sensor over existing sensors and methods are discussed. The validity of the EMFi sensor and amplifier output is tested using a mechanical vibrator. Lastly, a summary of signal analysis methods developed for our system is given. The developed systems have be used for medical BCG measurements, and the recordings indicate that the both the systems are functional and capture useful BCG signal components.