Upside-Down-Labs-BioAmp-EXG-Pill-0.7 Featured Image by CIRCUITSTATE Electronics — BioAmp EXG Pill v0.7 kit

BioAmp EXG Pill is an open-source biopotential analog front-end (AFE) module from Upside Down Labs. Based on TL074 quad low-noise JFET-input operational amplifier, the EXG Pill works as a single-channel biopotential amplifier that can amplify low-magnitude electrical signals produced by our body. The EXG in the name is a placeholder. Replace the “X”, and you get EEG, ECG, EMG, and EOG. And yes, the EXG Pill can measure all these signals if you configure it appropriately and use the right firmware. BioAmp EXG Pill can be interfaced to any 5V microcontrollers. The analog output from the module can be sampled by internal ADCs of microcontrollers or external ones.

The project is completely open-source, allowing you to get a copy of all the source files, and modify and redistribute them as you wish. BioAmp EXG Pill v1.0 will be soon launched at Crowd Supply. If you want to get your hands on one, be quick to subscribe to the project page at Crowd Supply. Once the project is active, you can pre-order the modules.

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Contents

Features and Specifications
Applications
Links
Short Link

Features and Specifications

Working Voltage: 5 V – 40 V
Input Impedance: > 35 MΩ
Compatible Hardware: Any 5 V MCU/ADC
Supported Biopotentials Voltages: ECG, EOG, EMG, and EEG (Configurable)
No. of channels: 1
Electrodes: 2/3 (Configurable)
Dimensions: 25.4 x 10.0 mm
Open Source: Hardware + Software
Castellated PCB: Yes

Applications

AI-assisted congestive heart failure detection using CNN (ECG)
Heart Rate Variability calculation for heart ailment detection (ECG)
Prosthetic arm (servo) controller (EMG)
Palsy physical therapy quantitative analysis device (EMG)
Real-time game controller (EOG)
Controlling LEDs via brain waves (EEG)
Patient monitoring device

Upside-Down-Labs-BioAmp-EXG-Pill-V0.7-PCB-Top-Bottom-1 — v0.7 PCB Top and Bottom

The schematic and PCB for EXG Pill were designed in KiCad, an open-source EDA program. The hardware design received Open Source Hardware (OSHW) certification with number IN000026. The beautiful purple PCBs you see here are fabricated by OSH Park, USA.

To get you started, the authors have published some example codes to read ECG, EMG, heart rate, etc., and use them to drive various output devices such as servo motors and LED bar graph displays. You can even detect eye blinks or drive motors with your own muscle movements. Data from EXG Pill could be used to train your own AI systems to implement various other advanced applications. Watch the following video for a practical demo from Deepak Khatri from UDL.

BioAmp EXG Pill in action

The version of the PCB we received is the 0.7. UDL is working on a better version, 1.0 for Crowd Supply release. You will see more example applications with it. Make sure you back the project and get your PCBs early.