Silicone Electrodes

marcwolfmarcwolf
in Electrodes

Hi Folks.
Just an idea. Often when doing special effects makeup one needs to put on fake scars etc. These are usually made with silicone and glued on with Pros-Aide (a very common glue for this)

This made me think - as the 'scars' need to be flexible on the actors skin, but also needs to stay attached, then they might make an excellent bed for embedding electrodes in.
The silicone is an insulator, and can be washed many times.

For example, several electgrodes can be embedded in the forehead/eyebrow section and thus record the fEMG there.

Just an idea - it might also help re complex arrangements of fixed electrodes.
Dave

Comments

  • biomurphbiomurph Brooklyn, NY
    Interesting question!
    it should be possible to imbed an electrode (active or passive) into the silicone prosthetic. As long as the connection between the electrode and skin is free of glue (maybe has some conductive gel...) 
    Are you primarily interested in EMG? If so, then passive electrodes should work fine.
  • wjcroftwjcroft Mount Shasta, CA
    Marc, if you look at the pre-gelled foam electrodes (we mentioned in your original fEMG post) these have a unique construction. There is a Ag-AgCl button at the center (silver chloride electrode material.) This is usually in a "well" of the foam material. Such that there is a layer of conductive gel between the button and the skin. And pressure on the electrode will not reduce that well of gel material. Then surrounding the button is a circle of adhesive.

    If you can achieve all these qualities with your silicon molded devices, that would likely have the most success. Passive electrodes work best when separated from the skin by a layer of gel or paste or saline solution. Particularly in your costume situation with heat buildup and sweating -- the passive electrodes with some type of adhesive, I think will perform better than something dry. The dry sensors would be affected by the increased or decreased levels of sweat.

    William
  • marcwolfmarcwolf
    edited February 2015
    For my project - definitely EMG.
    I tried playing around with the  Neurosky chip that was in a Mindwave game. Was able to get both the normal and raw data from it. The big issue with EEG is that it's difficult to get a consistent result in an ad-hoc environment. When you are running around, talking with people, interacting, and then need to control your thinking to make a semi-precise move it starts to fall apart.
    With EMG it's possible to use the body's natural emotional responses and mimic them.

    Cost is also an issue as this is for amateurs, plus time and set up.  Reusable electrodes offer a good way to save on cost, and having a pad that already has 2 (or more ) electrodes embedded in it would help greatly.

    For example if one was to monitor 8 muscles then that would be 16 + 1 electrodes. That's a lot of reusable pads to go through.
    I've found these Dry Electrodes that can have a spot of conductive gel placed in them.

    On a side note - rummaging through my boxes of electronic bits I found 5 old boards from AdvancerTechnologies that will serve as a test bed until I get the OpenBCI board in.  Unfortunately due to exchange rates is'd nearly $700AUD

    Many thanks for all your helpful tips etc.
    Dave


  • biomurphbiomurph Brooklyn, NY
    It's probably a good idea to try different types of electrodes and see how they compare.
    The EMG signal is very bright, so I don't think you need anything super special.
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2026