Dry electrodes make continuous biosignal monitoring wearable. No gel, no adhesive patches, no single-use consumables. But selecting the right dry electrode for your application.
Integrating it reliably into a textile garment, requires a specific kind of engineering knowledge.
We’ve built that knowledge across medical, defence and sports wearable projects.
Flight Sense System · BalanceBelt · 60+ years combined experience in wearable sensor integration
First and foremost, dry electrodes capture biosignals conducted through the skin. Next to that, dry electrodes can be used to transmit energy to the body, through the skin.
Standard medical ECG electrodes are single-use adhesive patches with a conductive gel. They work well in a clinical setting. They are impractical for anything worn daily, used repeatedly, or integrated into a textile garment.
Dry electrodes solve this. They require no gel, no adhesive, and no preparation. They can be integrated directly into fabric, feel close to textile against the skin, and can be washed and reused.
This makes them the right choice for:
Dry electrodes introduce one engineering challenge that wet electrodes do not: movement artefacts, also known as signal noise.
Because the electrode is not adhered to the skin, small movements cause noise in the signal. Managing this tradeoff, through electrode selection, placement, textile integration and firmware-level signal filtering, is a significant part of what we do.
For heart rate and HRV specifically, photoplethysmography (PPG) is an alternative to electrode-based measurement. PPG uses optical sensors, the red and green LEDs on the back of a smartwatch, to detect blood volume changes through the skin.
PPG is simpler to integrate, cheaper, and can be placed away from the chest (wrist, ear, finger). For many consumer wearables it is the right choice.
Electrode-based measurement is better when:
Not sure which is right for your application?
This is exactly the kind of decision we help development partners make early, before it becomes an expensive architecture change later.
Not all dry electrodes perform equally. Over the past decade, a range of companies and research institutes have developed dry and textile-based electrodes with different strengths: signal quality, comfort, washability, integration method, durability and cost. Each has specific advantages depending on your use case, form factor and production volume.
At Elitac Wearables, we have researched, tested and integrated many of these options alongside our partner research institutes.
When you work with us on a biosignal wearable, we select electrodes based on:
Through continuous research, we maintain an active library of the best-performing dry electrode technologies available, including options we regularly re-evaluate as the market develops.
This saves you the time and cost of evaluating the market yourself, and avoids the common mistake of choosing an electrode that works on a bench but fails in real-world use.
Dry ECG electrodes integrated into a textile garment for continuous ECG, heart rate variability, and respiration monitoring of fighter pilots during flight.
Developed in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Defence, 2M Engineering and TNO.
Find out more about the Flight Sense System.
We publish technical content on electrode technology for wearable developers:
Whether you are selecting an electrode technology for a new project, struggling with signal quality in an existing wearable, or need a development partner who understands the full integration picture, we can help.
Wet electrodes use a conductive gel or adhesive to maximise skin contact and signal quality. Dry electrodes make contact through pressure alone, without gel. They are less accurate in clinical static conditions but far more practical for wearables: comfortable, reusable, washable and suitable for continuous daily use.
Yes, with the right electrode selection, placement and signal processing. We have integrated dry electrodes into medical-grade ECG garments, including the Flight Sense System for the Dutch Ministry of Defence, which required continuous, accurate monitoring during active flight conditions.
Through a combination of electrode selection (some materials are significantly more artefact-resistant than others), integration design (placement, pressure, contact area), hardware shielding and cable and material selection, and firmware-level signal filtering. Managing this tradeoff is one of the core engineering challenges we solve on biosignal wearable projects.
In short, PPG is better suited for heart rate and HRV monitoring in consumer wearables where simplicity, cost and form factor matter most. Dry electrodes are the right choice when you need a full ECG waveform, EMG, EEG or EDA signals, or when regulatory requirements demand higher signal fidelity.
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