Jose Antonio Gutierrez Gnecchi

Advances in the Construction of ECG Wearable Sensor Technology: The ECG-ITM-05 eHealth Data Acquisition System

This paper presents recent advances in development of ECG WS (electrocardiogram wearable sensor) eHealth data acquisition systems (eHealth-DAQ) as part of an ongoing effort to produce low-cost, reliable biopotential monitoring equipment. The ECG-ITM05 eHealth DAQ is based on the recently introduced ADS1298 analog front end, MSP430F2618 ultra-low power micro controller and μSD memory card to produce a minimalist long-term measurement system. The equipment uses conductive fabrics sewed onto sportswear shirts as electrodes. Active electrodes help maintaining the quality of measured ECG similar to that of conventional electrodes in some locations. The equipment was used for monitoring various activities (sit-ups, twisting, power walking and gym bicycle riding) for evaluating the performance of the electrode sensing array. The results show that the equipment can be used for measuring long term ambulatory cardiac activity and is a versatile unit that allows in-system programming for implementing further signal processing algorithms.

Is the digitization of laparoscopic movement using accessible alternative technologies possible

Abstract It is widely documented that laparoscopic surgeons require training, and an objective evaluation of the training that they receive. The most advanced evaluation systems integrate the digitization of the movement of laparoscopic tools. A great number of these systems, however, do not permit the use of real tools and their high cost limits their academic impact. Likewise, it is documented that new and accessible systems need to be developed. The aim of this article is to explore the possibility of digitizing the movement of laparoscopic tools in a three-dimensional workspace, using accessible alternative technology. Our proposal uses a commercial Wii video game control in conjunction with a program for determining kinematic variables during the execution of a recognition task.

Automated Wetting Front Detector

The rational use of water resources in agriculture is a key factor to achieve true sustainable development. The propagation speed of the wetting front is of great importance for water usage optimization in irritation scheduling. This paper presents the design and construction of an automated wetting front detector that allows registering the speed of water propagation through soil. In addition the equipment can be used to control the irrigation process. Finally the equipment can used to extract water samples for analysis of nitrates and salt content migration due to irrigation. The equipment was tested in an experimental rhizotron/lysimeter over a 10 day period. The results indicate that the equipment can be used for detecting when the water has reached a predefined depth, and thus the speed of water propagation. Moreover, the use of the equipment as part of irrigation scheduling can contribute to optimize water usage in agriculture. Keywords-Soil moisture, wetting front detector, irrigation scheduling, data logger.

Pre-competitive Development of a Portable EEG Auditory Evoked Potential Measurement System, Auxiliary in the Diagnostic of Hypoacusia

Undoubtedly, research and development activities in higher education institutions must have scientific, technological, social and economical impact in the surroundings. However, since the researcher’s productivity in Mexico is measured by the number of publications, the results seldom conclude in a true technological development. This paper describes the result of an initiative between Morelia Institute of Technology (ITM) and the Public Health Secretariat of the Michoacan State (SSM), to produce biomedical instrumentation to facilitate early diagnostic of hyoacusia in newborns. The EEG-ITM05, portable EEG data acquisition system, is the result of a 3-year ongoing effort to build a pre-competitive device. The equipment was tested on 10 unmedicated young adults and the results were compared to those obtained with a previous prototype, the EEG-ITM03 and a commercial instrument (Cad well 7200). The results obtained with the three instruments are consistent and suggest that the ECG-ITM05 can provide information for diagnostic of hypoacusia.

Design and Construction of a Continuous Ambulatory Electrocardiogram Recorder, Auxiliary in the Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Amongst the factors that benefit preventive treatment of cardiac patients are early detection and correct identification of cardiac arrhythmia patterns. However, in the State of Michoacán, Mexico, cardiac patients are seldom monitored as part of routine diagnostic in public health institutions due to the lack of ECG monitoring equipment. This paper describes the design and construction of an Ambulatory Electrocardiogram (ECG) Recorder, the ECGITM04. The ECG-ITM04 resulted from an initiative between Morelia Institute of Technology and the Michoacán State Public Health Secretariat to produce biopotential instrumentation for use as part of routine diagnostic in public health clinics. The 3-wire ECG monitoring device complies with several specifications: low-power consumption (battery operated), on-line graphics display, 7-days continuous data logger, patient electrical safety, minimal signal processing operations to facilitate the identification of cardiac arrhythmia patterns and a JTAG programming port so that the device can be updated without changing the data acquisition hardware.

Following the path towards intelligently connected devices for on-line, real-time cardiac arrhythmia detection and classification

Cardiac arrhythmia detection and classification is of outmost importance for early diagnosis to reduce significantly the rates of morbidity and mortality of patients with heart disease. In particular for patients with silent cardiac symptomatology, the advances in wearable sensing technology offer a promising solution for on-line, real-time detection of intermittent tachyarrhythmia events that otherwise may evolve undetected. In this paper the authors examine some of the key issues that outline the path towards integrating various aspects for ECG signal acquisition and analysis with current trends in wearable sensing technology and present recent results towards on-line real-time arrhythmia classification considering the IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) approach.

Evaluation of Analog vs. ASIC Input/Filter Stage for Multimodal Biopotential Wearable Sensor Data Acquisition

The current trends in wearable sensor technology suggest that, in the next decade or so, garments will commonly include some form of biometric/biopotential measurement system and will be of great value for gathering ambulatory metadata for remote diagnosis. In parallel, the introduction of new powerful mixed-signal devices will enhance the possibility of garments including cost-effective biopotential measurements, over the classical analog signal conditioning configurations. This paper presents the use of a recently introduced ASIC device (ADS1298) for measuring ECG, EEG and EMG data, towards developing a multimodal biopotential measurement system. Two programmable analog filter configurations are tested for comparison. The results show that adjusting the analog filters to accommodate different biopotentials is an unfeasible task in comparison with the ASIC device, which proved useful for measuring common biopotentials: ECG, EMG and EEG, and thus is more suitable for wearable sensor applications.

Analog Actuator for Multimodal Environmental Corrosion Measurements

The degradation of metallic materials due to the environment is a matter of strategic interest, because it is considered the number one enemy of the national infrastructure. For the Mexican industry is essential to know the degree of environmental corrosion in situ to take preventive action in order to extend the lifetime of the facilities, consider the type of materials used for construction, refurbish existing infrastructure and plan preventive maintenance services. To quantify the degree of atmospheric corrosion is necessary to develop a tool that allows in situ monitoring and measuring the level of corrosion using different methods for comparison. In this paper, the authors present the design and construction of an analogue circuit that can operate as a potentiostat / galvanostat and allow electrochemical noise measurements intended for a multimodal portable corrosion measurement system for remote monitoring. The actuator section was simulated and tested in the laboratory. The experimental results agree with simulations and suggest that it is possible to build a portable, multimodal equipment for in-situ monitoring of environmental corrosion levels. Keywords-electrochemical noise, potentiostat, galvanostat, corrosion, athmospheric corrosion.

Instrumentation for Measurement of Laboratory and In-Situ Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Properties

Measurement of soil hydraulic conductivity properties is very important for soil characterization, modelling of water transport and waste contaminant migration through soil, management of soil organic matter and management of water resources. Moreover, measurement of hydraulic properties is also important for developing strategies to increase crop productivity, and 3-D modelling of water migration properties to predict groundwater and aquifer recharge. Amongst the most common methods, used in laboratory and field test trials to determine the properties of water propagation through soil, are measurement of hydraulic conductivity and wetting front detection. However since the hydraulic conductivity properties vary considerably from region to region (and even for the same region and type of soil) numerous and diverse methods are continuously reported that fit particular needs. Despite the large number of methods and apparatus reported, and commercially available instruments for measuring the dynamics of water propagation through the soil, it is still necessary to continue developing new and improved instrumentation systems to increase the quality and quantity of reliable information and reduce systematic errors. In addition, commercial instruments may only be available from foreign distributors. Thus the use of imported technology, with little or no technical support locally, and the added import tax costs result prohibitive for the average producer and precludes the use of electronics instrumentation by producers without a technical background. Since 77% of the water in Mexico is used in agriculture, the availability is scarce in many wide areas, and the water usage efficiency is low, the situation becomes more critical due to the demand for increased productivity. Undoubtedly, research and development activities in higher education institutions should have scientific, technological, social and economical impact in the surroundings. This chapter presents the results of the cooperation between ITM-Electronics Engineering Department (Spanish: Instituto Tecnologico de Morelia), INIRENA-Research Centre for Natural Resources Studies (Spanish: Instituto

Microcontroller-based Biopotential Data Acquisition Systems: Practical Design Considerations

Non-invasive bioimpedance measurements are an important part of routine diagnostic procedures. ECG (Electrocardiograph), EEG (Electroencephalograph), EMG (Electromyography) and EOG (Electrooculograph) measurements are amongst the most common non-invasive measurements used for diagnosis. The advances in microcontroller technology over the past 25 years have resulted in general-purpose, low-cost, low-power devices that can perform many of the operations involved in the measurement, and analysis process. Although the data acquisition system architecture is similar for the different noninvasive biopotential measurements, practical considerations have to be taken into account for each particular biopotential measurement: rate of amplification, filter bandpass frequency, overall bandwidth and Analogue-to-Digital conversion rate. This chapter presents an overview of the electrical characteristics of different biopotential measurements and general data acquisition architecture for portable biopotential measurement equipment. This chapter also addresses the importance of electrical isolation to ensure patient safety while using biopotential measurement equipment. Two case studies are presented: a microcontroller-based EEG data acquisition system for measurement of auditory evoked potentials for diagnosis of hypoacusis and a microcontroller-based ambulatory ECG data acquisition system.