Formative Mechanisms of Current Concentration and Breakdown Phenomena Dependent on Direct Current Flow Through the Skin by a Dry Electrode

Direct current flow into the skin by dry electrode is useful in the fields of the electrocutaneous stimulation in sensory substitution systems and the probing of acupuncture points by means of electric resistance. During such. use, both the occurrences of a pain sensation and the electric breakdown of the skin become a hindrance to application. Equations describing these phenomena have been derived and the formative mechanisms of three phenomena, namely the current concentration in a minutely localized region, the occurrence of pain sensation as a result of heat generation, and the electric breakdown of the skin, have been made clear. The impottant values from which the key to solutions for these problems can be concretely obtained using equations are discussed in detail.