Measuring Skin Electrical Potential With the Kelvin Probe: Minimizing Noise

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy State
• Interventions: Other: Faraday cage, movement stabilization

• Registration Number: NCT01399879
• Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary

The Scanning Kelvin Probe measures surface electrical potential without actually touching the skin. This is a pilot study to evaluate methods of minimizing noise during Scanning Kelvin Probe measurements. This project will focus specifically on noise arising from physical movement and environmental electrical field.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-09
• Primary Completion: 2011-02
• Study Completion: 2011-02
• Study First Submitted: 2011-03-25
• Status Verified: 2011-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-07-20
• Last Update Submitted: 2011-07-20
• Study First Posted: 2011-07-22
• Last Update Posted: 2011-07-22

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

• Age greater than 18 years

Exclusion Criteria

• chronic medical condition requiring daily medications (hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc)
• movement disorders/tremors
• extensive scars on the hand
• latex-allergies
• cardiac implantation, metallic joint/bone replacements (defibrillator or pacemaker)

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Healthy Volunteers	Faraday cage, movement stabilization	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Variability in surface electrical potential measurements	Within 24 hours of testing	This study focuses on the ability of the Kelvin Probe to measure skin electrical potential. Because it does so without touching the skin, it is prone to noise - specifically physical movement and surrounding electrical noise. The variability in surface electrical potential is a way to determine how stable the measurements are. It can be determined immediately after testing - and will be used in data analyses (comparing across study volunteers) approximately 24 weeks after testing is complete.