Background The motion artifact is an ever-present challenge in the mobile monitoring of surface potentials. Skin-electrode impedance is investigated as an input parameter to detect the motion artifact and to reduce it using various methods. However, the impact of the used impedance measurement frequency on the relationship between measured impedance and the motion artifact and the relationship between the impedance and the motion is not well understood. Methods In this paper, for the first time, we present the simultaneous measurement of impedance at 8 current frequencies during the application of controlled motion to the electrode at monitored electrode mounting force. Three interwoven frequency groupings are used to obtain a spectrum of 24 frequencies between 25?Hz and 1?MHz for ten volunteers. Consequently, the surface potential and one channel of ECG are measured from the electrode subject to controlled motion. The signals are then analyzed in time and frequency domain. Results The results show that the different frequencies of impedance measurements do not reflect the motion in the same manner. The best correlation between impedance and the applied motion was seen at impedance current frequencies above 17?kHz. For resistance this relationship existed for frequencies above 11?kHz, Reactance did not show good time domain correlation, but had good frequency domain correlation at frequencies higher than 42?kHz. Overall, we found that the impedance signal correlated well with the applied motion; however impedance had lower correlation to actual motion artifact signal. Conclusion Based on our results, we can conclude that the current frequency used for the impedance measurement has a great effect on the relationship of the measurement to the applied motion and its relationship with the resulting motion artifact. Therefore, when flat textile contact biopotential electrodes are used, frequencies higher than 17?kHz are best suited for impedance measurements intended for the estimation of electrode motion or motion artifact. For resistance, the best frequencies to use are higher than 11?kHz.
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