Development of a sensor network for dynamic boundary measurement in neonatal Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)

Abstract

Incorrect boundary form has been proven to produce artifacts in electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images. However if information regarding the boundary form can be incorporated into the solution of the forward problem, major improvements to the final reconstructed image could be achieved. This paper presents the development of a new wearable device for measurement of boundary form for neonate lung function. To achieve this objective a comparative study of different bend and flexible stretch sensors that can be used for determination of boundary shape has been conducted. Three different types of commercially available bend sensors from Abrams Gentile Entertainment Inc. (100 mm), Images SI Inc. FLX02 (100mm) and Flexpoint Inc. (50 mm) have been investigated. The reliability and accuracy of the bend sensors were studied in order to compare their feasibility for boundary measurement. Abrams Gentile bend sensors show linear characteristic of resistance and bending curvature whereas the Flexpoint Inc. bend sensors show exponential relationship between resistance and bending curvature. The results of the sensors and their incorporation into a sensor net will be presented. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.