ECG Measurement Using Capacitive Coupling Electrodes for Man-Machine Emotional Communication

We have studied the capacitive coupling ECG measurement as a new emotional communication between man and machine. In this capacitive coupling measurement a metal plate is placed outside the body and this plate and the electric signal source inside body forms a condenser and the electric biosignal can be derived through this condenser. In this paper, we studied ECG measurement using two or only one capacitive coupling electrodes without any ground electrode for more convenient ECG monitoring. Three ECG measurement methods different in the setting of capacitive coupling electrodes and ground electrode were tested as follows; two isolated signal electrodes with an isolated ground electrode, two isolated signal electrodes without any ground electrode and one isolated signal electrode without any ground electrode. As a result, two isolated electrodes are enough to measure ECG whether with a ground electrode or not. Moreover ECG can be measured with only one signal electrode. Of course ECG waveform was noisy but "R" peak of ECG could be detected. Same tendencies were confirmed in all five subjects participated in experiments.