BioShield-12: A 3D-Printed Conformal Chest Shield for Wireless 12-Lead ECG Acquisition

Reproducible electrode placement remains a critical, unresolved challenge in wearable ECG systems, where manual electrode attachment introduces inter-session positional error that degrades signal morphology and compromises multi-lead representation. Although the 12-lead clinical ECG system is the gold standard, conventional setups are often bulky, wired, and dependent on operator expertise, limiting their use in prehospital or remote care. Recent advancements in wearable and wireless ECG systems have improved mobility and real-time monitoring, but they typically suffer from limited lead coverage, discomfort, and unstable connectivity. This paper introduces BioShield-12, an anatomically adaptive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) shield fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) to improve multi-site electrode placement and 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) reconstruction from a single-shield design based on anthropometric data from ten healthy adults (five male, five female; sizing cohort). Mechanical characterization confirmed TPU’s suitability as a compliant wearable substrate, with toughness of 34.4 MJ/m3 and elastic modulus of 79.1 MPa. Feasibility validation against a research-grade reference (BIOPAC MP36) in twenty healthy subjects (n = 20; 10 male, 10 female; mean age 21 ± 4 years) demonstrated consistent signal fidelity (SNR: 17.5–22.5 dB; Pearson r: 0.93–0.98; power-line interference ratio (PLIR): 1.0–3.2 × 10−5) and confirmed feasibility of 12-lead reconstruction. This work provides proof-of-concept for an additive manufacturing-based conformal electrode interface that eliminates variability in placement without needing individual attachment.