Design of hydrogel-based wearable EEG electrodes for medical applications

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is considered to be a promising method for studying brain disorders. Because of its non-invasive nature, subjects take a lower risk compared to some other invasive methods, while the systems record the brain signal. With the technological advancement of neural and material engineering, we are in the process of achieving continuous monitoring of neural activity through wearable EEG. In this article, we first give a brief introduction to EEG bands, circuits, wired/wireless EEG systems, and analysis algorithms. Then, we review the most recent advances in the interfaces used for EEG recordings, focusing on hydrogel-based EEG electrodes. Specifically, the advances for important figures of merit for EEG electrodes are reviewed. Finally, we summarize the potential medical application of wearable EEG systems.