BIO-IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS EXPERIMENT

OF GLUCOSE SOLUTION AT
VARYING FREQUENCIES

by

Florante Carlo E. Coma

A Design Report Submitted to the School of Electrical Engineering,

Electronics Engineering, and Computer Engineering in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Mapua Institute of Technology
September 2011

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This paper would not have been possible without the guidance and the
help of several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended
their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study.
My design adviser, Dr. Liang Yu-Shyu, a Biomedical Engineering
professor in Chung Yuan Christian University Taiwan, for sharing his time and
exemplary knowledge in this particular field.
Our Professor, Engr. Noel B. Linsangan, Subject Chairperson of the
Computer Engineering program, for guiding and teaching us everything we need
to know about this course subject.
To Ms. Hui-Lin Yu, a Biomedical Engineering student of CYCU - for her
unconditional patience and dedication in helping me in my laboratory
experiments.
To Ms. Jenny Wu and Mr. William Chen, for helping me get
acquainted with my laboratory mates and for being my companions in Taiwan.
To Mr. Yuanta Shih and Mr. Yi-Wei Chen for teaching me with my
software application program.

Lastly, I offer my regards and blessings to my parents for their

unconditional love and support and to God for always being there no matter
what. Thank You!

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGEi
APPROVAL SHEET.ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.iv
LIST OF TABLESvi
LIST OF FIGURES.vi
ABSTRACT..vii
Chapter 1: DESIGN BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION.1
Background.1
Statement of the Problem..3
Objectives of the Design.3
Significance and Impact of the Design...4
Scope and Delimitation5
Definition of Terms.6
Chapter 2: REVIEW OF RELATED DESIGN LITERATURES AND STUDIES...........8
Chapter 3: DESIGN PROCEDURES.................................................................15
Experiments General Block Diagram..........................................15
Experiments Procedural Flowchart.............................................18
Software Application......................................................... ........19
Windows Application Flowchart..................................................20
Chapter 4: TESTING, PRESENTATION, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA..........21
Bioimpedance Analysis Experiment.............................................21
Procedures................................................. ..............................21
Windows Application Form........................................................24
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.........................................27

iv

Conclusion................................................. ..............................27
Recommendation.....................................................................28
BIBLIOGRAPHY29
APPENDIX..30
Appendix A: Pictures of the Experiment..31
Appendix B: Program Listing.32

LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Data Gathered..23

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1 Block Diagram of the Experiment16
Figure 3.2 Conceptual Block Diagram of the
Bioimpedance Analysis Experiment..17
Figure 3.3 Block Diagram describing the major components of the
Bioimpedance Measurement System .18
Figure 3.4 Bioimpedance Analysis Experiment Procedural Flowchart...19
Figure 3.5 Windows Application Flowchart..21
Figure 4.1 Curve from 20 g/ml. Glucose Solution25
Figure 4.2 Initial Form.26
Figure 4.3 Open File with Grid Table Button..26
Figure 4.4 Grid Table..27
Figure 4.5 Final Form..27

vi

ABSTRACT

Frequent monitoring of blood glucose is very important especially to

diabetic patients, for doing so can save them from the more severe and
devastating complications from the unpredictable disease that is diabetes. But
some people are not always able to comply with frequent monitoring for doing it
is painful because the most common form of getting a blood sample is by fingerprick method. That is why the race for developing a non-invasive blood glucose
monitoring device is on, for a lot of diabetic patients can surely benefit from it.
Bio-impedance Analysis is one of the proposed ways for developing this device
because it can assess body composition using electrical tissue conductivity. This
paper presents how a Bio-impedance Analysis experiment is conducted at a
glucose solution having varying frequencies applied to it. A curve corresponding
to the impedance of the glucose solution can show the effects of the glucose
concentration to its impedance output. In conclusion, this experiment when fully
realized can help in the development of a non-invasive glucose monitoring
device.
Keywords: Bio-Impedance, Sensor, Glucose Concentrations

vii

Chapter 1
DESIGN BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses an overview of the design.

This includes the

purpose, objective, significance and scope of the design. Some technical terms
used for the documentation were discussed at the end of this chapter.

Background
Diseases like Type 2 diabetes and, especially, Type 1 diabetes require
frequent self-monitoring of glucose. The level of glucose in the blood should be
continuously monitored to provide effective treatment of the said disease. In the
last two decades, several studies were carried out to establish a non-invasive
technique for evaluation of glucose, i.e. a technique not requiring blood
collection. However, it can be claimed that non-invasive glucose monitoring is
still in its early phase of development.

In the recent years there has been a continuous effort in the development
of new glucose sensors for improved performance in terms of stability or
efficiency. In parallel, a different effort has been carried on aimed at the
development of techniques for non-invasive glucose measurement. A promising
approach for non-invasive measurement of glucose is Bio-impedance Analysis or
Impedance Spectroscopy.

This paper is focused in Bio-impedance Analysis and sensor development.

The aim is to conduct the experiment which is the first step in developing a noninvasive blood glucose monitoring device.

The Bio-impedance Analysis experiment is the approach needed to

develop a non-invasive blood glucose sensor. In this experiment, a specific
frequency is applied on different glucose concentrations, which in turn can obtain
minima impedance values. The relationship of the minima values can build a
formula. And this formula can help in the development of a non-invasive glucose
monitoring device. A windows application form showing the graph of the data
obtained from the experiment will help if the right curve needed is obtained.

The experiment done which is the Bio-impedance analysis experiment

consists of 4 major components: a DC power supply, a function generator, an
oscilloscope, and a custom-designed circuit board. All of these items exist as an
off the shelf, plug and play component, thereby lowering the complexity of the
system.

Statement of the Problem

Unmonitored diabetes can lead to severe complications over time,
including blindness, kidney failure, heart failure, and peripheral neuropathy
associated

with

limb

pain,

poor

circulation,

gangrene and subsequent

amputation.
More frequent monitoring of blood glucose and insulin levels could prevent
many of the long term complications of diabetes. However, the conventional
blood (finger stick) glucose testing and monitoring are painful and can cause
unease to patients.

Objectives of the Experiment

The main objective is to conduct the Bio-impedance Analysis experiment
to get the impedance values of a glucose solution at varying frequencies. The
specific objective is to gather data from the experiment to obtain the curve
representing the data which can show the minima values that can lead to the
finding of the formula necessary for the development of a non-invasive glucose
monitoring device.

Significance and Impact of the Experiment

By conducting this experiment, the proponent is able to develop a step to
the development of a non-invasive glucose monitoring device. This in return can
benefit diabetic patients by preventing them from more severe complications
that is caused by diabetes of more frequent blood glucose monitoring.

The Bio-impedance Analysis Technique in measuring glucose has its own

advantages over existing non-invasive technologies. First, this method of blood
glucose analysis is very simple and quick to perform, and if one has the right
equipments, it can be done at home. In addition, the complexity of the technique
with regards to the concept of the experiment is relatively simple compared to
other existing techniques for only one has to know that glucose solutions when
applied by frequencies at varying magnitudes can yield different impedance
values.

Doing this experiment which in turn can lead to the development of a

non-invasive glucose monitoring device can clearly answer the health and safety
aspect with regards to its impact in meeting realistic constraints by being
beneficial to a lot of diabetic patients.

Scope and Delimitation

Scopes:
1. 0.20 grams and 0.60 grams of glucose were dissolved in 20 ml deionized
water.
2. The software needed for the windows application form (Microsoft Visual
Studio 2008 Express Edition) supports the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista; and Windows XP.
3. The glucose sensor which serves as the hardware needs a Highfrequency Signal Generator and a Rhode and Schwartz Impedance
Analyzer
4. The features of the windows application form are the following:
a) Can open the .txt file where the data is saved.
b) Can draw the curve from the data corresponding to the frequency and
impedance.

Delimitations:
1. Impedance values were gathered only at 0.20 g/20ml and 0.60 g/20 ml
glucose concentration.
2. The frequency used, ranged from 10MHz to 60 MHz.

Definition of Terms:
1. Bioimpedance Analysis - BIA is a science that was originally developed for
the use in monitoring hospital patients after surgery. It has also been
used in a number of the space missions to monitor astronaut's health. It
is totally non-invasive, and involves placing some sticky electrical
conductors on your hand and foot, and connecting a battery powered
meter to measure two electrical readings. These are put into a computer
to generate a detailed report about your body's "biomarkers."
2. Diabetes - Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by the inability of
the pancreas to produce insulin or to use the insulin produced in the
proper way.
3. Glucose Our body's primary source of energy takes the form of glucose.
This

type

of

sugar

comes

from

digesting

carbohydrates

into

a chemical that we can easily convert to energy. When glucose levels in

the bloodstream aren't properly regulated, one can develop a serious
condition, such as diabetes.
4. Non-invasive Not penetrating the body, as by incision or injection.
5. Blood glucose monitoring Blood glucose monitoring is a way of testing
the

concentration

of glucose in

the

blood

(glycemia).

Particularly

important in the care of diabetes mellitus, a blood glucose test is

performed by piercing the skin (typically, on the finger) to draw blood,
then applying the blood to a chemically active disposable 'test-strip'.

6. Impedance Spectroscopy another term for bioimpedance analysis

Chapter 2
REVIEW OF RELATED DESIGN LITERATURES AND STUDIES

This chapter includes the compiled research works and studies that are
related to the design. The contents of this chapter are used as reference for the
development of the design. The researcher used the following related articles,
research works and inventions as a reference which will aid in having an in-depth
understanding about the design that the group is working on.

In the research paper entitled, First Human Experiments With A Novel

Non-Invasive, Non-Optical Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, by Caduff, A.
et al., a number of people were subjected to an experiment with the purpose of
proving the applicability of a non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring system
wherein the impact of glucose on the impedance pattern is measured so as to
measure the changes in the glucose concentrations, which is done by varying the
frequency in the radio band in a specific range.

An open resonant circuit attached to the skin and a circuit, which

measures the impedance, is contained within the sensor about the size of a
wristwatch.

A detailed description of the trials is presented so as to show that the

experiments, generally, showed a good correlation between changes in blood
glucose and the sensor recordings. The results of this first series of experiments
can be considered as a proof of concept for this novel non-invasive monitoring
approach. Nevertheless, partly due to the indirect measurement, a considerable
number of questions remain to be clarified.

Vuorela, T. Seppa in his journal, Design and Implementation of a Portable

Long-Term Physiological Signal Recorder, designed a device for measuring
electrocardiography, bioimpedance, and users activity. One of its main
applications is monitoring the users respiration. Activity is measured with threeaxis acceleration sensor. For the duration of the design development, the focus
has been on the devices power consumption and to set it on a 24-hour
operating time. Test measurements, which include, e.g., comparison of
measurement signals against reference signals, testing the device operation
under vigorous upper body movements, and during a light exercise, proved the
functionality of the implemented measurement device.

In order to confirm if the device operates a full single day, a 24 hour

activity is implemented. The measurement system is tested with both commercial
Ag/AgCl gel-paste electrodes and custom-made textile electrodes. Device is
9

proven to be operational with both electrodes, but textile electrodes are found to
be more sensitive for movement artifacts. This paper also gives a small review of
other existing portable and wearable physiological measurement devices and
discusses some general requirements of these devices.

Raju Poddar et al. in the journal, Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring

Techniques: A review and current trends, defined diabetes as a complex group of
syndromes that have in common a disturbance in the bodys use of glucose,
resulting in an elevated blood sugar. The proponents held that the disease can
be controlled if one were supposed to follow and conduct oneself in a regimen
that includes diet therapy, an exercise program, insulin injections or oral drugs to
lower blood glucose, and a weight reduction program for persons who are
overweight. The authors declared that diabetes has many complications thats
why in order to control it, blood glucose monitoring should be done by the
patient and the physician. Frequent glucose testing has numerous benefits that
the pursuit of the next generation of bloodless, painless glucose device has
begun. The proponents of this paper evaluated various methods, techniques and
approaches that have effectively demonstrated the measuring of blood glucose.
Invasive, minimally invasive and noninvasive techniques available in literature
are summarized.

10

The authors of the paper signified the importance of having frequent

glucose testing in controlling the complications of diabetes. This can give an idea
on how the Bio-impedance analysis experiment can help in the development of
an approach that can possibly measure the blood glucose in a way that is not a
burden to the patient.

According to Gerard H. Makxa and Christopher L. Davey in the paper, The

dielectric properties of biological cells at radiofrequencies: Applications in
biotechnology,

the

study

of

the dielectric properties of cells in

the

radiofrequencies is increasingly leading to new practical applications, including

online techniques for biomass measurements and novel techniques for the
electro-kinetic separation, manipulation, and characterization of single cells. The
authors of the paper talked about dielectric properties of cells and their
components as well as the electrical techniques they used. The discussion will be
done mainly in the context of biotechnology but some applications in medicine
will also be highlighted.

The paper above shows the foundation on how the pursuit of making a
non-invasive glucose monitoring device started. Basically because Bio-impedance
analysis measures the resistance of a cell in order to get the composition of a
particular substance, for example, body fat.

11

In a review by Thomas Ming Hung Lee Over-the-Counter Biosensors:

Past, Present, and Future, he said that there is a huge demand for an affordable,
fast, sensitive, specific, and easy detection of biomolecules. Glucose meters that
are used by diabetics is a familiar example. Diabetics use this device in order to
monitor their blood glucose levels. At the moment, most of the glucose meters
are based on electrochemical biosensor technology, which utilizes small size and
easy construction of the electrochemical transducer which is perfectly suited for
point-of-care biosensing. In addition to glucose, measurements of some other
body components metabolite, proteins, and nucleic acids, have also a wide
selection of electrochemical biosensors that are being developed. However,
unlike the glucose meters, the commercialization of the protein and nucleic acid
biosensors has only achieved limited success. The author of this article discussed
in detail the key technologies on the electrochemical detection of metabolites,
proteins, and DNAs, highlighting those that are well-suited to home-use setting.
Furthermore, up-and-coming technologies of lab-on-a-chip micro devices and
nano-sensors offer opportunities for the construction of new generation
biosensors with much better performances. In the near future, together with the
continuous innovations in the basic components of biosensors, consumers could
soon buy different kinds of biosensing devices in the pharmacy stores.

The journal above emphasizes the importance and timeliness of the Bioimpedance Analysis experiment since it is a step in developing a non-invasive

12

glucose monitoring device, which in turn can be very beneficial to diabetic

patients, the significance of developing such device will be very much
appreciated. Especially for it being a non-invasive, meaning it will be painless,
fast, and efficient when conducted to a patient, means this budding technology
will be appreciated by people having diabetic concerns.

The significance of portable Bio-impedance Spectroscopy (BIS) devices

are stressed in the paper of Yuxiang Yang et al. entitled Design and preliminary
evaluation of a portable device for the measurement of bio-impedance
spectroscopy. The authors said that these devices are of great value in
monitoring the pathological status of biological tissues in clinical and home
environments. The proponents said that the bridge method and quadrature
demodulation method, which are the traditional approaches for measuring
complex bio-impedance, are either time-consuming, or even often associated
with high cost, high power consumption, and large board space, and therefore
are not ideal for designing portable devices for BIS measurement. A novel design
of a portable BIS device based on the magnitude-ratio and phase difference
detection method and its implementation utilizing the newest generation of
analog electronic products, is being illustrated in this paper a design which can
greatly decrease the complexity of both hardware and software. A threereference

calibration

algorithm

and

experimental

sweep-frequency

measurements on RC circuits were carried out in order to improve the accuracy

13

of the device and to preliminary assess with regards to the performance of the
device. The researchers were able to acquire results from the device that are of
good agreement with the results measured by a commercial impedance analyzer
HP4194, with an overall mean error of 0.014% in magnitude and 0.136 in phase
over a frequency range of 20 kHz to 1 MHz.

In the paper above, the authors compared the traditional techniques of

Bio-impedance Spectroscopy namely, the bridge and quadrature demodulation
method with a novel design which is based on magnitude ratio and phasedifference detection method. The researchers stressed the former techniques are
not ideal when it comes to designing of devices for BIS measurement. The new
design however, which has less intricacy in its hardware and software and has an
algorithm and sweep-frequency measurements that were implemented in order
to increase the accuracy of the device.

An actual design in the paper is carried out in order to improve the

traditional techniques of BIS measurements. The study that was done in thi s
journal is more advanced since it already enhanced existing techniques for BIS
measurements. The study in this paper is only about doing the Bio-impedance
Analysis experiment in order to find the minima value of a curve representing the
impedance and frequency values of a glucose solution when a specific frequency
is applied.

14

Chapter 3
DESIGN PROCEDURES

This chapter discusses the procedures that were followed in the

development of the experiment. This includes the Block Diagram, the
Experiments Flowchart and the discussion on how the Experiment was
developed.

Experiments General Block Diagram

Preparation

Preparation

of materials / Set-up of
the experiment

Experiment
process

Recording of data
and results

Figure 3.1 Block Diagram of the Experiment

Figure 3.1 shows the basic block diagram of the experiment process from
preparation of the materials needed for the experiment, the experiment process,
and the gathering and recording of the data.
15

To understand more about Bio-impedance Analysis, reading articles about

human anatomy and physiology was given to the researcher. The purpose was
to learn the different body components leading to the basic understanding of the
experiment. Attending Microsoft Visual C++ classes was a big help in order to
integrate the research topic by creating windows application form that can show
the curve on a graph which corresponds to the data gathered from the
experiment. Doing the experiments regarding the glucose impedance was also
crucial for the development of the study, for the data gathered from these
experiments can show if it close to the goal, which is to obtain the correct curve
reflecting the impedance values at varying frequencies. If the curve is wrong, the
experiment has to be done again.

Figure 3.2 Conceptual block diagram of the bio-impedance analysis experiment

Fig. 3.2 shows the conceptual block diagram presentation of the
impedance measurement with a resistive divider. The input and output voltage is
measured in the Vin and Vout block, and Z is the impedance from the glucose

16

solution.

Figure 3.3 Block diagram describing major components of the bioimpedance measurement system. A Circuit Board contains the current source
and connections for the electrode probes. Attached to it are a high frequency
signal generator, an oscilloscope, and impedance analyzer. Each has its function
in the experiment process. The high frequency signal generator, which is
connected to the circuit board, supplies the necessary frequency and the input
voltage signal. An oscilloscope measured and recorded the voltage from the
signal across the two electrodes. A Rohde and Schwarz impedance analyzer can
also be connected across the two electrodes which can show the curve being
produced with respect to the impedance of the glucose solution and the
frequency being applied.

17

Experiments Procedural Flowchart

Figure 3.4 Bio-impedance Analysis Experiment procedural flowchart

Figure 3.4 shows the major procedures in doing the experiment. The first
step is to prepare the materials needed for the experiment and its set-up. So
basically a glucose solution has to be prepared which is made by dissolving 0.20
grams of glucose powder in 20 ml. of deionized water. Other materials needed
are the equipments for measuring the output the high frequency signal
18

generator, oscilloscope, and impedance analyzer. A circuit board is needed for

the platinum electrodes to be placed. The next steps are basically shown in
figure 3.4 which shows the procedures on how to go through the experiment. A
particular graph must be obtained in order to proceed to next stage of the
experiment which is the actual making of the non-invasive glucose monitoring
device. The adviser checks if the graph obtained is correct, otherwise, the
experiment should be repeated all over again. The data obtained can put into an
excel worksheet in order to see the curve obtained from the experiment.

Software Application
A simple windows application form was developed by using visual studio.
The aim of this is to simply see the curve corresponding to the data obtained
from the experiment. Attending Microsoft Visual C++ classes was a big help in
order for the research topic to be integrated, by creating the windows application
form that can show the curve on a graph which corresponds to the data
gathered from the experiment. Doing the experiments regarding the glucose
impedance was also crucial for the development of the study, for the data
gathered from these experiments can show if it is close to the goal, which is to
obtain the correct curve reflecting the impedance values at varying frequencies.
If the curve is wrong, the experiment has to be done again.

19

Windows Application Flowchart

Figure 3.5 Windows application flowchart

The software needed for the windows application form (Microsoft Visual
Studio 2008 Express Edition) supports the following operating systems: Windows
Server 2003; Windows Vista; and Windows XP. The features of the windows
application form are the following: Can open the .txt file where the data is saved.
Can draw the curve from the data corresponding to the frequency and
impedance.
20

Chapter 4
PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter details the data and results from the experiment. The
interpretation and explanation of different data and result were being
emphasized on this chapter.

4.1 Bio-impedance Analysis Experiment

A glucose solution of 0.20 g/ml is tested for its impedance at a given
frequency. The aim of this experiment is to simply get the correct data that will
yield the right curve on a graph that represents the data gathered which is the
impedance at a given frequency. Further development of this experiment can
lead to the development of a non-invasive glucose monitoring device.

4.1.1 Procedures:
1. Prepare materials, equipments needed.
-

20 grams of glucose, 20 ml. of deionized water

high-signal frequency generator, oscilloscope, impedance analyzer,

circuit board.

2. Set-up of the experiment.

3. Open the high- frequency signal generator.
4. Set the desired frequency on the frequency generator.
21

5. Press Run.
6. Write down the values of the Vin and Vout as seen o the oscilloscope.
7. Check for the curve as seen on the impedance analyzer.
8. Check if the curve is correct, otherwise, repeat the experiment.

Table 4.1 Data gathered

0.2g/20ml
Frequency

Vin

Vout

impedance

Vo/Vi

10M

136

124

1033.333333

0.91176

15M

178

156

709.0909091

0.8764

20M

204

172

537.5

0.84314

25M
30M
31M
32M
33M
34M
35M
36M
37M
38M
39M
40M
45M
50M
55M
60M

212
212
212
208
204
200
200
204
212
232
236
252
308
332
312
304

164
128
112
96
84
60
32
8
40
72
104
132
224
256
252
244

341.6666667
152.3809524
112
85.71428571
70
42.85714286
19.04761905
4.081632653
23.25581395
45
78.78787879
110
266.6666667
336.8421053
420
406.6666667

0.77358
0.60377
0.5283
0.46154
0.41176
0.3
0.16
0.03922
0.18868
0.31034
0.44068
0.52381
0.72727
0.77108
0.80769
0.80263

22

Figure 4.1 Curve from 0.20g/ml glucose solution

As seen on Table 4.1, the impedance values of a 20g/ml glucose solution

is obtained by a frequency sweep from 10MHz-60Mhz as prescribed by my
adviser. The Vin and Vout values are obtained from the oscilloscope. The
impedance for each frequency was gathered by using the resistive divider
formula:

In Figure 4.1 which shows the impedance curve from the 0.20g/ml glucose
solution, it shows that as the higher frequency is applied, the lesser the
resistance. This is because higher frequencies can easily penetrate the glucose
solution with lesser resistance. The data obtained from the frequency range 37- 60 MHz

23

is where the mistake occurred for the expected curve output should exhibit an inversely
proportional relationship between the applied frequency and the impedance. The

reason behind this inaccurate output is that the material used to connect the
platinum electrodes is only made of copper, which is a conductor, but no t as
good as other materials such as silver and gold wires.

4.2 Windows Application Form

The operation of the windows application form is very easy for only one
has to open where the .txt file is located and push the button corresponding to
the displaying of the curve. One thing that was noticed though is that the .txt file
containing the data opens when it is saved in the drive C: directory. In the
glucose impedance experiment, obtaining the correct data is not easy, for getting
the right curve and data is dependent on how the glucose sensor is made
especially the materials in which the connectors are made from. Although the
experiment is still in its progress, when the correct data and curve is obtained, it
will lead to a very promising product that will benefit a lot of people especially
diabetics.

24

Figure 4.2 Windows Application Initial Form

Basic objects are required like the list box, button, and the text box (optional).

Figure 4.3 Open file with grid table button (drawbox)

The figure shows that it can already open the .txt file where the data was saved.
A button for the grid table is also added.

25

Figure 4.4. Windows Application Form with the Grid Table

The grid table above where the curve will be shown is presented.

Figure 4.5. Windows Application Final Form

The .txt file where the data is saved and the curve representing the data is seen
26

Chapter 5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the conclusion of the experiment, as well as the

recommendations

for

future

researches

in

enhancing

the

experiments

capabilities.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the study simply covered the implementation of the bioimpedance analysis experiment by obtaining the impedance values of a glucose
solution at varying frequencies. In order to see the curve a windows application
form was developed.
However, the data obtained was not accurate for the curve. This
inaccurate result is due to the material used is copper wire, which is a good
conductor but not as conductive as other materials such as silver and gold. The
expected curve output should show an inverse relationship between frequency
and impedance values which is, as the higher frequency is applied, the lower
the resistance of the glucose solution.

Recommendation
Although many minimally invasive methods and devices for blood
collection are presently available, non invasive diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is
27

still especially important. Development of blood glucose monitors is very

promising. Because advantages of non-invasive devices are obvious, this
technology should be further upgraded.

It must be noted that the use of platinum skin electrodes, which was used
in the experiment, may be extremely expensive for a device aimed at personal
domestic monitoring, but the use of other electrode materials, such as stainless
steel, may cause affecting the measurement accuracy.

The materials used in the experiment will also reflect the accuracy of the
data obtained. The wire used in the experiment to connect the platinum
electrodes is only made of ordinary copper wire, so to obtain a more stable
output use more conductive materials like silver or even gold wires. But these
materials are more expensive.

28

REFERENCES

Caduff, E. Hirt, Yu. Feldman, Z. A li, and L. Heinemann (2003). First human

experiments with a novel non-invasive, non-optical continuous glucose

monitoring system , pp. 209-217
Lee, T. M.-H. (2008). Over-the-Counter Biosensors: Past, Present, and Future
Markx, G. H., and Davey, C. L. (1999). The dielectric properties of biological cells
at radiofrequencies: applications in biotechnology, vol. 25, 161-171
Poddar, R., Andrews, J. T., Shukla, P., and Sen, P (2008). Non-Invasive Glucose
Monitoring Techniques: A review and current trends, vol. 1, p 47
Soria, D. I. (2008). Implementation of an Electrical Bioimpedance Monitoring

System and a Tool for Bioimpedance Vector Analysis

Vuorela, T., Sepp, V., Vanhala, J., and Hyttinen, J. (2010). Design and
implementation of a portable long-term physiological signal recorder . IEEE
Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, pp. 718-725
Yuxiang, Y., Jue, W., Gang, Y., Feilong, Ni., and Ping, H. (2006). Design and

preliminary evaluation of a portable device for the measurement of bioimpedance

spectroscopy, p 23

29

APPENDICES

30

APPENDIX A. Pictures of the Experiment

31

APPENDIX B. Program Listing

#pragma once
#include "string.h"
#include "stdio.h"
#include "stdlib.h"
#include <vcclr.h>
#include "iostream"
#include "io.h"

FILE *fp;
float *bp, * ecg;
int start;
namespace simpleopenfile {

using namespace System;

using namespace System::Runtime::InteropServices;
using namespace System::ComponentModel;
using namespace System::Collections;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
using namespace System::Data;
using namespace System::Drawing;

/// <summary>
/// Summary for Form1
///
32

/// WARNING: If you change the name of this class, you will need to
change the
///
compiler tool

'Resource File Name' property for the managed resource

///

associated with all .resx files this class depends on. Otherwise,

///

the designers will not be able to interact properly with localized

///

resources associated with this form.

/// </summary>
public ref class Form1 : public System::Windows::Forms::Form
{
public:
Form1(void)
{
InitializeComponent();
//
//TODO: Add the constructor code here
//
}

protected:
/// <summary>
/// Clean up any resources being used.
/// </summary>
~Form1()
{
if (components)

33

{
delete components;
}
}
private: System::Windows::Forms::OpenFileDialog^ openFileDialog1;
private: System::Windows::Forms::ListBox^ listBox1;
private: System::Windows::Forms::Button^ button1;
private: System::Windows::Forms::TextBox^ textBox1;
private: System::Windows::Forms::PictureBox^ pictureBox1;
private: System::Windows::Forms::Button^ button2;
protected:

private:
/// <summary>
/// Required designer variable.
/// </summary>
System::ComponentModel::Container ^components;

#pragma region Windows Form Designer generated code

/// <summary>
/// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
/// the contents of this method with the code editor.
/// </summary>
void InitializeComponent(void)
{

34

this->openFileDialog1 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::OpenFileDialog());
this->listBox1 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::ListBox());
this->button1 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::Button());
this->textBox1 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::TextBox());
this->pictureBox1 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::PictureBox());
this->button2 = (gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::Button());
(cli::safe_cast<System::ComponentModel::ISupportInitialize^ >(this>pictureBox1))->BeginInit();
this->SuspendLayout();
//
// openFileDialog1
//
this->openFileDialog1->FileName = L"openFileDialog1";
//
// listBox1
//
this->listBox1->FormattingEnabled = true;
this->listBox1->ItemHeight = 12;
this->listBox1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(0, 12);
this->listBox1->Name = L"listBox1";
this->listBox1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(509, 88);
this->listBox1->TabIndex = 0

35

//
// button1
//
425);

this->button1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(248,
this->button1->Name = L"button1";
this->button1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(75, 23);
this->button1->TabIndex = 1;
this->button1->Text = L"opne";
this->button1->UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;

this->button1->Click += gcnew System::EventHandler(this,

&Form1::button1_Click);
//
// textBox1
//
49);

this->textBox1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(665,
this->textBox1->Name = L"textBox1";
this->textBox1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(100, 22);
this->textBox1->TabIndex = 2;
//
// pictureBox1
//

121);

this->pictureBox1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(209,
this->pictureBox1->Name = L"pictureBox1";

36

298);

this->pictureBox1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(675,
this->pictureBox1->TabIndex = 3;
this->pictureBox1->TabStop = false;
//
// button2
//
this->button2->Location = System::Drawing::Point(551,

425);
this->button2->Name = L"button2";
this->button2->Size = System::Drawing::Size(75, 23);
this->button2->TabIndex = 4;
this->button2->Text = L"drawbox";
this->button2->UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;
this->button2->Click += gcnew System::EventHandler(this,
&Form1::button2_Click);
//
// Form1
//
this->AutoScaleDimensions = System::Drawing::SizeF(6,
12);
this->AutoScaleMode =
System::Windows::Forms::AutoScaleMode::Font;
this->ClientSize = System::Drawing::Size(896, 470);
this->Controls->Add(this->button2);
this->Controls->Add(this->pictureBox1);
this->Controls->Add(this->textBox1);

37

this->Controls->Add(this->button1);
this->Controls->Add(this->listBox1);
this->Name = L"Form1";
this->Text = L"openfile";
(cli::safe_cast<System::ComponentModel::ISupportInitialize^ >(this>pictureBox1))->EndInit();
this->ResumeLayout(false);
this->PerformLayout();

}
#pragma endregion

private: System::Void button1_Click(System::Object^ sender,

System::EventArgs^ e) {

String ^temp;
String ^Ctemp;

errno_t err;
int len;

char *printout;
int i;

38

printout = new char [500];

ecg = new float [15000];

bp = new float [15000];
listBox1->Items->Add("data \t\tecg \t\tbp\n");

OpenFileDialog^ openFileDialog1 = gcnew

OpenFileDialog;

this->openFileDialog1->InitialDirectory="c:\\";
openFileDialog1->Filter = "txt files
(*.txt)|*.txt|All files (*.*)|*.*";
openFileDialog1->FilterIndex = 2;
>RestoreDirectory=true;

this->openFileDialog1-

if ( openFileDialog1->ShowDialog() ==
System::Windows::Forms::DialogResult::OK )
{
if ( ( openFileDialog1->OpenFile()) != nullptr )
{
temp = openFileDialog1->FileName;
len = openFileDialog1->FileName->Length;
char* filename = (char*)
Marshal::StringToHGlobalAnsi(temp ).ToPointer();//NString
charA String variables will be transformed into indicators of
type char
i = 0;
if (( err = fopen_s(&fp,filename,"r")) == 0) //err is a
~NX return 0 S~ return 1

39

while (!feof(fp)) {

fscanf_s(fp, "%f %f ", (ecg+i), (bp+i));

sprintf_s(printout, 1500,"%8d \t\t %6.4f
\t\t %6.2f\n", i, *(ecg+i), *(bp+i));
Ctemp = gcnew String( printout );
listBox1->Items->Add(Ctemp);
delete Ctemp;

i++;
//if (i > 2500) break;

}
// label3->Text = (i).ToString("######");
fclose(fp);
} // End of File Open and Read

} // End of File Exist

40

private: System::Void button2_Click(System::Object^ sender,

System::EventArgs^ e) {
int i, xp, yp, xq,yq, length = 2500;

float tx,ty;
float xr, xl, yt, yb;

// i:

float xbegin, ybegin, xend, yend;

float xdis, ydis, xa, ya;
float yy, yval;

Graphics ^g = pictureBox1->CreateGraphics(); // g
pictureBox1->Refresh();

// M

Pen ^fcPen = gcnew Pen(Color::Red, 1);

//
// graph : PictureR]w
//
xl = 10/250;
xr = 10+xl;
yb = -1;
yt = 1;

xbegin = float(0.13*pictureBox1->Width);
ybegin = float(0.05*pictureBox1->Height);

41

xend = float(0.93*pictureBox1->Width);
yend = float(0.8*pictureBox1->Height);

xdis = float(xr-xl);
ydis = float(yt-yb);
xa = (xend - xbegin) / xdis;

// x axis

ya = (yend - ybegin) / ydis;

// y axis

// myPen
Pen ^myPen1 = gcnew Pen(Color::LightGray, 1);

for(i=1; i<=11; i++) {

if(i==1)
yy = ybegin;
else
// 10
yy = yy + (yend-ybegin)/10;
// y-
if(i%2 != 0) {
yval = float(yt-ydis*(i-1)/10);
// Ny- : #0.0
g->DrawString(yval.ToString("#0.0"), pictureBox1->Font,
Brushes::Black, float(xbegin-pictureBox1->Width/11), float(yy-pictureBox1>Height/50));

42

}
// u
g->DrawLine(myPen1, xbegin, yy, xend, yy);
//
g->DrawLine(myPen1, xbegin-5, yy, xbegin, yy);
}

float xx, xval;

for(i=1; i<=11; i++) {
if (i==1)
xx = xbegin;
else
// 10
xx = xx + (xend-xbegin)/10;
// x-
if(i%2 != 0) {
xval = float(xl+xdis*(i-1)/10);
// Nx- : #0.0
g->DrawString(xval.ToString("#0.0"), pictureBox1->Font,
Brushes::Black, float(xx-pictureBox1->Width/30), float(yend+pictureBox1>Height/20));
}
// u
g->DrawLine(myPen1, xx, ybegin, xx, yend);
//
g->DrawLine(myPen1, xx, yend, xx, yend+5);

43

// myPen
Pen ^myPen = gcnew Pen(Color::Black, 1);

// ebox
g->DrawLine(myPen, xbegin, ybegin, xend, ybegin);
g->DrawLine(myPen, xend, ybegin, xend, yend);
g->DrawLine(myPen, xend, yend, xbegin, yend);
g->DrawLine(myPen, xbegin, yend, xbegin, ybegin);

//
g->DrawString("Time", pictureBox1->Font, Brushes::Red,
float(0.54*pictureBox1->Width), float(yend+pictureBox1->Height/8));
g->DrawString("ECG", pictureBox1->Font, Brushes::Red,
float(0.01*pictureBox1->Width), float(0.4*pictureBox1->Height));
tx =0; ty = 0; xp = xl; yp = (yb-yt)/2;
xp = int(xbegin - (xl-start/250) * xa);
yp = int(yend + yb * ya);
for (i = 0; i < length; i++) {
tx = (float)i; tx = tx/250;
if (tx < 10) {
ty = *(ecg+i+start);
xq = int(xbegin + (tx - (xl-start/250)) * xa);
yq = int(yend - (ty - yb) * ya);
g->DrawLine(fcPen, xp, yp, xq, yq);

44

xp = xq; yp = yq;
}
}
fcPen->Color::set(Color::Blue);
xl = start/250;
xr = 10+xl;
yb = 60;
yt = 170;
/*

xbegin = float(0.13*pictureBox1->Width);

ybegin = float(0.05*pictureBox1->Height);
xend = float(0.93*pictureBox1->Width);
yend = float(0.8*pictureBox1->Height);
*/
xdis = float(xr-xl);
ydis = float(yt-yb);
xa = (xend - xbegin) / xdis;

// x axis

ya = (yend - ybegin) / ydis;

tx =0; ty = 0;
xp = int(xbegin - (xl-start/250) * xa);
yp = int(yend - yb * ya);
for (i = 0; i < length; i++) {
tx = (float)i; tx = tx/250;
if (tx < 10) {
ty = *(bp+i+start);
xq = int(xbegin + (tx - (xl-start/250)) * xa);

45

yq = int(yend - (ty - yb) * ya);

g->DrawLine(fcPen, xp, yp, xq, yq);
xp = xq; yp = yq;
}

}
};
}

46