Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-00173, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Bhadra, Sharmistha (McGill University)|Bhadra, Sharmistha (Université McGill), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Quebec|Québec, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Due to drawbacks of wet electrodes such as the need for conductive gel and scalp preparation, Avertus Inc._x000D_
uses two different kinds of dry electrodes in the current electroencephalogram (EEG) recording headsets._x000D_
Electrodes for hairy locations are equipped with straight macroscale gold plated retractable pins, whereas_x000D_
electrodes for non-hairy locations are a conductive textile over conductive foam. Pin electrode become_x000D_
uncomfortable with time for people with thin hair because the springs in the pin electrodes create pressure._x000D_
They are an injury hazard under impact condition and the retractable nature of the pin electrodes makes the_x000D_
device bulky. Moreover, using two different kinds of electrodes causes the impedance mismatch issue. In this_x000D_
project, we will develop a low cost flexible conductive material and fabricate electrodes from it. A conductive_x000D_
polymer composite (CPC) consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and metal nanoparticles (Nps) with_x000D_
conductivity >1000 S/m will be prepared as electrode material. Electrodes for hairy and non-hairy locations_x000D_
will be produced from the CPC in different shapes for scalps with different contours. To characterize the_x000D_
performance for each electrode structure the contact impedance between the dry skin and electrode will be_x000D_
measured. The fabricated electrodes will be integrated with the Avertus's prototype headset and EEG signals_x000D_
will be recorded. Effect of long-term usage, sanitization and multiple usage on the electrode performance will_x000D_
be evaluated. The proposed flexible conductive dry electrodes will miniaturize the headset and allow it to be_x000D_
worn comfortably and safely for long time. The use of same material for hairy and non-hairy location_x000D_
electrodes will remove the impedance mismatch issue in the current headset., program purpose french : Due to drawbacks of wet electrodes such as the need for conductive gel and scalp preparation, Avertus Inc._x000D_
uses two different kinds of dry electrodes in the current electroencephalogram (EEG) recording headsets._x000D_
Electrodes for hairy locations are equipped with straight macroscale gold plated retractable pins, whereas_x000D_
electrodes for non-hairy locations are a conductive textile over conductive foam. Pin electrode become_x000D_
uncomfortable with time for people with thin hair because the springs in the pin electrodes create pressure._x000D_
They are an injury hazard under impact condition and the retractable nature of the pin electrodes makes the_x000D_
device bulky. Moreover, using two different kinds of electrodes causes the impedance mismatch issue. In this_x000D_
project, we will develop a low cost flexible conductive material and fabricate electrodes from it. A conductive_x000D_
polymer composite (CPC) consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and metal nanoparticles (Nps) with_x000D_
conductivity >1000 S/m will be prepared as electrode material. Electrodes for hairy and non-hairy locations_x000D_
will be produced from the CPC in different shapes for scalps with different contours. To characterize the_x000D_
performance for each electrode structure the contact impedance between the dry skin and electrode will be_x000D_
measured. The fabricated electrodes will be integrated with the Avertus's prototype headset and EEG signals_x000D_
will be recorded. Effect of long-term usage, sanitization and multiple usage on the electrode performance will_x000D_
be evaluated. The proposed flexible conductive dry electrodes will miniaturize the headset and allow it to be_x000D_
worn comfortably and safely for long time. The use of same material for hairy and non-hairy location_x000D_
electrodes will remove the impedance mismatch issue in the current headset., agreement title english : Flexible Dry Electrodes for Acquiring Electroencephalogram Signals, agreement title french : Flexible Dry Electrodes for Acquiring Electroencephalogram Signals, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada