Skin-integrated, biocompatible, and stretchable silicon microneedle electrode for long-term EMG monitoring in motion scenario

Long-term and accurate electromyography (EMG) monitoring is crucial for neuromuscular function assessment. This paper introduces a skin-integrated, biocompatible, and stretchable silicon microneedle electrode (SSME) inspired by plant thorns. The silicon microneedles are partially encapsulated by polyimide (PI) for enhanced adaptability and fatigue resistance. The SSME achieves a stretchability of at least 36% and biocompatibility is confirmed through cytotoxicity tests. EMG monitoring during motion and long-term tests demonstrate the SSME's feasibility and performance, comparable to commercial wet electrodes. This approach promises accurate and long-term EMG monitoring for human-computer interfaces and healthcare.

Huawei Ji, Mingyu Wang, Yutong Wang, Zhouheng Wang, Yinji Ma, Lanlan Liu, Honglei Zhou, Ze Xu, Xian Wang, Ying Chen, Xue Feng