Novel dry electrodes have promoted the development of wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) that is collected in daily life to monitor the ambulatory activity of heart status. To evaluate the performance of a dry electrode, it is necessary to compare it with the commercial disposable silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) gel electrode. In this paper, a silver nanowire (AgNW)-based dry electrode was fabricated for noninvasive and wearable ECG sensing. Signals from the AgNW electrode and the Ag/AgCl electrode were simultaneously collected in two conditions: sitting and walking. Signal quality was evaluated in terms of ECG morphology, R-peak to R-peak interval, and heart rate variability analysis. Quantitative comparisons showed that the AgNW electrode could collect acceptable ECG waveforms as the Ag/AgCl electrode in both the sitting and walking conditions. However, the baseline drift and waveform distortions existed in the AgNW electrode, likely due to electrode motion. If the skin-electrode contact is improved, the dry electrode can be a promising substitute for the Ag/AgCl electrode.
