Automated robust test framework for electrical impedance tomography

Abstract

An automated test system and procedure is proposed, designed to enable systematic testing of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) devices. The system is designed to calculate reliable, repeatable and accurate performance figures of merit of an EIT system using a saline phantom and an industrial robot arm. Applications of the test system are to compare EIT devices against requirements, or to help optimize a device for its operating parameters. A test methodology and sample test results are presented to illustrate its use. The system is used to compare image quality and contrast detection for a range of stimulation and measurement patterns, and results show the best images when the pair of current injection electrodes is spaced between 45 and 170 degrees on a tank. Finally, we propose a classification of the object detection errors, which can facilitate comparison of EIT instrument specifications.