A low-impedance, skin-grabbing, and gel-free EEG electrode.

Inspired by the extraordinary object grabbing ability of certain insects (e.g., a grasshopper), we have developed a novel dry EEG electrode, called the skin screw electrode. Unlike the traditional disc electrode which requires several minutes to install, the installation of the skin screw electrode can be completed within seconds since no skin preparation and electrolyte application are required. Despite the drastic improvement in the installation time, our experiments have demonstrated that the skin screw electrode has a similar impedance value to that of the disc electrode. The skin screw electrode has a wide range of applications, such as clinical EEG diagnosis, epilepsy monitoring, emergency medicine, and home-based human-computer interface.