Evaluation of Dry Electrodes in Canine Heart Rate Monitoring
Juhani Virtanen,
Sanni Somppi,
Heini Törnqvist,
Vala Jeyhani,
Patrique Fiedler,
Yulia Gizatdinova,
Päivi Majaranta,
Heli Väätäjä,
Anna Valldeoriola Cardó,
Jukka Lekkala,
Sampo Tuukkanen,
Veikko Surakka,
Outi Vainio,
Antti Vehkaoja
Affiliations
Juhani Virtanen
BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
Sanni Somppi
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki (UH), P.O. Box 57 (Viikintie 49), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Heini Törnqvist
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki (UH), P.O. Box 57 (Viikintie 49), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Vala Jeyhani
BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
Patrique Fiedler
Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Straße 2, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
Yulia Gizatdinova
Research Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Tampere (UTA), Pinni B Building, Kanslerinrinne 1, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Päivi Majaranta
Research Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Tampere (UTA), Pinni B Building, Kanslerinrinne 1, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Heli Väätäjä
Research Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Tampere (UTA), Pinni B Building, Kanslerinrinne 1, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Anna Valldeoriola Cardó
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki (UH), P.O. Box 57 (Viikintie 49), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Jukka Lekkala
BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
Sampo Tuukkanen
BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
Veikko Surakka
Research Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Tampere (UTA), Pinni B Building, Kanslerinrinne 1, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Outi Vainio
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki (UH), P.O. Box 57 (Viikintie 49), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Antti Vehkaoja
BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
The functionality of three dry electrocardiogram electrode constructions was evaluated by measuring canine heart rate during four different behaviors: Standing, sitting, lying and walking. The testing was repeated (n = 9) in each of the 36 scenarios with three dogs. Two of the electrodes were constructed with spring-loaded test pins while the third electrode was a molded polymer electrode with Ag/AgCl coating. During the measurement, a specifically designed harness was used to attach the electrodes to the dogs. The performance of the electrodes was evaluated and compared in terms of heartbeat detection coverage. The effect on the respective heart rate coverage was studied by computing the heart rate coverage from the measured electrocardiogram signal using a pattern-matching algorithm to extract the R-peaks and further the beat-to-beat heart rate. The results show that the overall coverage ratios regarding the electrodes varied between 45–95% in four different activity modes. The lowest coverage was for lying and walking and the highest was for standing and sitting.
