Characterization and comparison by bioelectrical impedance analysis of dry electrodes for use on human quadriceps, in a connected garment

Volume 11, Issue 2, April 2026     |     PP. 24-47      |     PDF (1027 K)    |     Pub. Date: May 7, 2026
DOI: 10.54647/dee470583    15 Downloads     330 Views  

Author(s)

Margaux Peixoto, Research Center, RunSys, 7 rue François Vergnais, 69250 Neuville-sur-Saône, France;C-19, 19 Cours Blaise Pascal, 91000 Évry-Courcouronnes, France
Marie-Valérie Moreno, Research Center, RunSys, 7 rue François Vergnais, 69250 Neuville-sur-Saône, France
Nassim Khider, C-19, 19 Cours Blaise Pascal, 91000 Évry-Courcouronnes, France; ENSIIE, 1 Rue de la Résistance, 91000 Évry-Courcouronnes, France

Abstract
Muscle tissue exhibits strong anisotropy due to the orientation of its fibers, and its electrical properties vary during contraction. Consequently, local impedance measurements can be used to detect muscle activity. This approach is particularly relevant for rehabilitation monitoring and serious game applications, where real-time physiological feedback is required.
The objective of this study is to characterize and compare a set of dry electrodes of different types (textile and silicone), first on a phantom simulating human quadriceps tissue, and subsequently on two human subjects. The goal is to identify a suitable electrode for integration into a real-time connected garment.
For each electrode, bipolar and quadripolar measurements of resistance (R) and reactance (X) were performed, and impedance (Z) was calculated. The electrodes were initially characterized on a phantom and then tested on the quadriceps of two adult subjects (one male and one female). The results show that, although the impedance values obtained are consistent with those reported in the literature for quadriceps tissue, they differ significantly from those obtained with the reference electrode.
Furthermore, a significant variability was observed in quadripolar measurements depending on the electrode type. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that electrodes can be selected based on their electrical properties and integrated into a connected garment, with performance comparable to that of standard gel electrodes.

Keywords
phantom; bioimpedance; agar-agar; quadriceps; muscle; dry electrodes

Cite this paper
Margaux Peixoto, Marie-Valérie Moreno, Nassim Khider, Characterization and comparison by bioelectrical impedance analysis of dry electrodes for use on human quadriceps, in a connected garment , SCIREA Journal of Electrical Engineering. Volume 11, Issue 2, April 2026 | PP. 24-47. 10.54647/dee470583

References

[ 1 ] Abt, C. Serious Games; The Viking Press: New York, USA, 1970.
[ 2 ] Alvarez, J.; Djaouti, D. Introduction au Serious Game; Questions théoriques: Paris, France, 2010.
[ 3 ] Lavergne Boudier, V.; Dambach, Y. Serious Game: Révolution Pédagogique; Hermes-Lavoisier: Cachan, France, 2010.
[ 4 ] Michael, D.; Chen, S. Serious Games. Games that Educate, Train and Inform; Course Technology PTR: Boston, MA, USA, 2005.
[ 5 ] Schmoll, P. Jeux sérieux: Exploration d’un oxymore. Rev. Des. Sci. Soc. 2011, 45, 158–167.
[ 6 ] International Journal of Serious Games. Available online: http://journal.seriousgamessociety.org/ (accessed on 29 January 2021).
[ 7 ] Alvares, J.; Djaouti, D.; Rampnoux, O. Apprendre Avec les Serious Games; Réseau Canopé: Poitiers, France, 2016.
[ 8 ] Attinost, B.; Célerin, S. Rencontre avec . . . Julien Blondel. Jeu Rôle Mag. 2017, 40, 16–23.
[ 9 ] Ferreira, A. Jeux sérieux et langue de spécialité: Trois exemples de ludification pour l’apprentissage de l’anglais naval. Cah. l’Apliut 2014, 33, 66–90. [CrossRef]
[ 10 ] Fuchs, P. Le Traité de la Réalité Virtuelle; Presses des MINES: Paris, France, 2006; Volume 26.
[ 11 ] Segura, J. Micro-ordinateur: Un gant pour remplacer la “souris”. Lett. Sci. Tech. 1986, 69, 9.
[ 12 ] Segura, J. Imagina. L’homme pénètre dans la troisième dimension. Usine Nouv. 1990, 3, 30.
[ 13 ] Segura, J. Réalité virtuelle, un plongeon dans l’image. Recherche 1991, 229, 232–235.
[ 14 ] Cheng, J.; Zhou, B.; Lukowicz, P.; Seoane, F.; Varga, M.; Mehmann, A.; Chabrecek, P.; Gaschler,W.; Goenner, K.; Horter, H.; et al. Textile Building Blocks: Toward simple, modularized, and standardized. Smart Text. 2017, 14, 303–331.
[ 15 ] Marquez, J.C. On the Feasibility of Using Textile Electrodes for Electrical Bioimpedance Measurements. Ph.D. Thesis, KTH—Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, 2011.
[ 16 ] Moreno, M.-V.; Chasset, L.; Bittner, P.-A.; Barthod, C.; Passard, M. New reusable elastomer electrodes for assessing body composition. J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2013, 434, 012026. [CrossRef]
[ 17 ] Nescolarde, L.; Yanguas, J.; Lukaski, H.; Rodas, G.; Rosell-Ferrer, J. Localized BIA identifies structural and pathophysiological changes. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Chicago, IL, USA, 26–30 August 2014.
[ 18 ] Nescolarde, L.; Yanguas, J.; Terricabras, J.; Lukaski, H. Detection of muscle gap by L-BIA in muscle: Clinical prognosis. Physiol. Meas. 2017, 38, L1. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
[ 19 ] Bartels, E.-M.; Rudbæk Sørensen, E.; Harrison, P.-A. Multi-frequency bioimpedance in human muscle assessment. Physiol. Rep. 2015, 3, e12354. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
[ 20 ] Gaubert, V.; Gidik, H.; Koncar, V. Smart underwear, incorporating textrodes, to estimate the bladder volume: Proof of concept on a test bench. Smart Mater. Struct. 2020, 29, 085028. [CrossRef]
[ 21 ] Gaubert, V.; Gidik, H.; Koncar, V. Boxer underwear incorporating textile moisture 2 sensors to prevent nocturnal enuresis. Sensors 2020, 20, 3546. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
[ 22 ] Gaubert, V.; Gidik, H.; Bodart, N.; Koncar, V. Investigating the impact of washing cycles on silver-plated textile electrodes: A complete study. Sensors 2020, 20, 1739. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
[ 23 ] Brown, S. Intarsia-Sensorized Band and Textrodes for Real-Time Myoelectric; IEEE: Orlando, FL, USA, 2016.
[ 24 ] Moreno, M.-V.; Herrera, E. Evaluation on Phantoms of the Feasibility of a Smart Bra to Detect Breast Cancer in Young Adults. Sensors 2019, 19, 5491. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
[ 25 ] Peixoto, M.; Moreno, M.-V.; Khider, N. Conception of a Phantom in Agar-Agar Gel with the Same Bio-Impedance Properties as Human Quadriceps. Sensors 2021, 21 (15), 5195.
[ 26 ] Grimnes, S.; Martisen, O. Wiley Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering; Metin Akay: Oslo, Finland, 2006; p. 9.
[ 27 ] Grimnes, S.; Martinsen, Ø. G. Passive Tissue Electrical Properties. In Bioimpedance and Bioelectricity Basics; Elsevier, 2015; pp 77–118.
[ 28 ] Grimnes, S.; Martinsen, Ø. G. Selected Applications. In Bioimpedance and Bioelectricity Basics; Elsevier, 2015; pp 405–494.
[ 29 ] Kalvøy, H.; Frich, L.; Grimnes, S.; Martinsen, Ø. G.; Hol, P. K.; Stubhaug, A. Impedance-Based Tissue Discrimination for Needle Guidance. Physiol. Meas. 2009, 30 (2), 129–140.