Dry-printed electrodes for transcutaneous electrical stimulation of inervated muscles: Towards wearable and closed-loop stimulation

Dry-printed electrodes for transcutaneous electrical stimulation of inervated muscles: Towards wearable and closed-loop stimulation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Dry-printed electrodes for transcutaneous electrical stimulation of inervated muscles: Towards wearable and closed-loop stimulation Rawan Ibrahim, Ieva Vėbraitė, Daniele Re, Paul F. Funk, Gerd Fabian Volk, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6872550/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation → Version 1 posted 16 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Despite growing interest in transcutaneous electrical stimulation, the need for precise electrode placement, limited long-term stability, and user inconvenience hinders widespread adoption. To address these issues, soft screen-printed electrode arrays were designed and tested for recording and stimulation on the neck and face of healthy subjects. Contact impedance was measured and modeled for both printed (dry) and conventional gel electrodes. Stimulation efficacy was evaluated using surface electromyography and mechanical movement recorded with an inertial measurement unit. Activation thresholds and perceived discomfort were comparable between electrode types. In addition to validating their effectiveness for transcutaneous stimulation of innervated muscles, we demonstrated closed-loop facial recording and stimulation using dry electrodes. By combining reliable stimulation with user comfort, our results pave the way for wearable neuromodulation systems for clinical and home use, particularly in restoring facial symmetry for individuals with neuromuscular impairments. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files video1neckstimulation.mp4 video2closedloopface.mp4 DryStimulationsupp.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 21 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 16 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 12 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 12 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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