Comparison of Conductive Fabric Electrode With Electromyography to Evaluate Knee Joint Movement

This paper describes a conductive fabric electrode which includes much more surface area compared to an Ag/AgCl electrode using a bioimpedance measurement method and compares a conductive fabric electrode with electromyography to evaluate knee joint movement. Both bioimpedance changes and EMG from 15 subjects were reliable as their values exist within ±1.96 STD. The coefficient of variation from bioimpedance changes was 0.07 and the coefficient of variation from EMG was 0.33. As a result, for viewing in joint angles to estimate knee joint movements, a bioimpedance measurement method using a conductive fabric electrode was more sensitive than electromyography. In addition, a conductive fabric electrode is more effective to impedance changes than an Ag/AgCl electrode. Moreover, while an Ag/AgCl electrode cannot be used continuously, as the electrodes are designed to be disposable, a conductive fabric electrode is feasible for continuous use.