Work

SigMedX – RTOS-based Portable e-Health Device

RTOS
Embedded Systems
STM32
TouchGFX
BITalino
HealthTech

Developed **SigMedX**, a portable biomedical device capable of acquiring, processing, and visualizing real-time biosignals (ECG, EEG, EMG, and EDA). Built using the BITalino sensor suite, STM32F4 board, FreeRTOS, and TouchGFX for GUI. Enables users to monitor physiological data from anywhere with a compact, user-friendly interface.

SigMedX Application GUI

Overview

This project focuses on the development of a portable biomedical signal monitoring system using the BITalino sensor platform and STM32F429 Discovery Board. The device is capable of capturing four physiological signals: ECG (electrocardiography), EDA (electrodermal activity), EEG (electroencephalography), and EMG (electromyography). It features an embedded graphical interface developed with TouchGFX, running on FreeRTOS.

The system is designed for real-time monitoring and visualization of biosignals, allowing users to take measurements anytime and anywhere. The goal of this device is to provide accessible health diagnostics leveraging embedded system technologies.

Key Features

  • Physiological Signals Monitored: ECG, EDA, EEG, EMG
  • Sensor Platform: BITalino (with onboard MCU for preprocessing)
  • Microcontroller: STM32F429 Discovery Board (ARM Cortex-M4)
  • GUI Framework: TouchGFX
  • RTOS: FreeRTOS (used internally by TouchGFX and extended by our application)
  • Development Tools: STM32CubeIDE, TouchGFX Designer

System Architecture

flowchart LR
    Sensor[Bitalino Sensor] --> MCU[Internal MCU (preprocessing)]
    MCU --> STM32[STM32F429 Board]
    STM32 --> GUI[TouchGFX Interface]
    STM32 --> RTOS[FreeRTOS Scheduler]

Technologies Used

  • Embedded C/C++ for firmware
  • STM32CubeIDE for code development and build
  • TouchGFX for GUI design and integration
  • FreeRTOS for task scheduling
  • BITalino platform for biosignal acquisition

Implementation Details

  • Sensor Integration: Used BITalino to capture analog biosignals, fed directly to STM32 ADC after basic filtering and scaling.
  • Signal Processing: Applied simple filters and scaling for clean, visual-ready signals—no digital decoding needed.
  • GUI Design: Built a real-time, responsive interface with TouchGFX to display signals and enable interaction.
  • RTOS Management: FreeRTOS handled concurrent tasks: UI updates, signal handling, and system monitoring.
  • Testing & Calibration: Validated performance through user trials, adjusting filters for optimal signal clarity.

Results

The device was successfully implemented with accurate signal visualization and real-time response. All objectives were met, confirming the feasibility of portable, embedded biosignal monitoring.

Challenges

  • Signal synchronization between BITalino and STM32.
  • Optimization of GUI rendering to meet real-time performance.
  • Resource constraints in embedded development (e.g., memory, processing time).

Future Work

  • Integration with mobile apps for remote health tracking.
  • Data logging with SD card or cloud-based platforms.
  • Advanced signal processing (e.g., FFT, ML-based anomaly detection).

Contributors

  • Imad-Eddine NACIRI
  • Errouji Oussama
  • Jade Bousliman

Feel free to reach out for collaborations or discussions on embedded systems, robotics and AI in the medical field ossamaerrouji@gmail.com.