Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that visualizes conductivity or impedance distributions both in 2D and in 3D. Sciospec is partnering with world leading scientists in the field to deliver solutions that enable using EIT both in research and in practical applications.
Apart from our standard instruments for easy entry into the world of EIT we also offer fully customized EIT products as well as application-specific OEM solutions. Build on Sciospec´s flexible technology plattform, scalabilty is at the heart of all our instruments: Channel counts of up to 256 are available in standard configurations and we even have reference system designs with a lot more than that.
Over the years we have realized applications ranging from the classical medical (lung ventilation monitoring and electrode positioning problems) over industrial applications (pipe system monitoring and contamination tracking) to state of the art chip based EIT for biosensing applications.
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Are you looking to dive into lung imaging applications? Then we have the perfect solution for you.
The LungEIT Kit is an all-in-one solution that provides everything you need to start exploring lung imaging with ease and precision. Whether you’re conducting preliminary research or developing new diagnostic tools, the LungEIT Kit offers unparalleled support and functionality.
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All the capabilities your EIT application needs
Sciospec’s EIT systems (EIT16/32/64/128+) are specifically designed for measurements for electrical impedance tomography. True parallel measurements and tightly synchronized switching allows for fast frame rates. No matter what channel count you decide to go with, you’ll benefit from:
For easy entry a software provides EIT image reconstruction functionalities for time- and frequency-difference imaging. Alternatively you can just use the MATLAB code and import your data to EIDORS or write your own image reconstruction and import that to our software.
Available options
Phantom-Tank
We offer various EIT phantom tanks
We are also happy to build a phantom tank according to your wishes
Phantom tanks can be booked as an accessory to our EIT instrument
Cable sets
Cable sets can be ordered as accessories for our EIT instrument
EIT SlideChip Adapter
Den EIT SlideChip und die passenden Sensorträger können Sie als ein Accessoire zu unseren EIT-Instrument zubuchen
With multichannel scalability as one of our core competences - EIT is a perfect match for our technology platform. Not only do we provide our expertise in instrumentation design, but we also have expert data scientists with long time experience in imaging algorithms for EIT embedded in our development team.
Relevant publications
Discover how the Sciospec EIT128 system and customizable phantom tank enable efficient, real-time imaging with minimal data transforming object localization and structural analysis.
See how the EIT32 shapes next-generation Electrical impedance imaging
Discover the Importance of Sciospec’s EIT Device in Impedance-Based Cancer Diagnostics
Discover how the EIT LUNG Kit can enhance lung function monitoring during mechanical ventilation. 22 – 26 April 2024 @Lorentz Center, Leiden, NL
As all our platform technology EIT is available as OEM, too. Our plaform allows for cost-efficient customization and easy integration of our technology to customers’ products. Safe time to market by getting the best impedance technology turn-key ready by the leading impedance OEM company. A portable device for mobile health or a massive multichannel platform for a screening application – everything is possible. You also need a graphical user interface? Okay. You’re going for a medical device? No problem. Just get in touch with us!
References & satisfied customers
Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that visualizes conductivity or impedance distributions both in 2D and in 3D. Sciospec is partnering with world leading scientists in the field to deliver solutions that enable using EIT both in research and in practical applications.
One could think of EIT as a highly specialized case of impedance spectroscopy. In EIT measurement data from different electrode configurations (injection paths) are combined to form one data frame and used to reconstruct an image of the impedance or (more commonly) the conductivity distribution in a plane or volume. Often this only done at a single frequency, but more and more research is being published on the use of frequency difference techniques and in recent years even multi-frequency approaches have been pursued. In general, it is possible to measure the raw data required with any impedance analyzer. For example, the Sciospec ISX-3 offers a specific EIT measurement through a multiplexer add-on. This approach however results in rather slow measurements, not favourable for observation of dynamic processes. Typical EIT application scenarios will use 16 or 32 electrodes – in more advanced electrode topologies e.g. with multiple analysis planes more will be required. There are options to configure fully capable impedance measurement systems with channel counts that will be sufficient in most of these cases (e.g. the Sciospec ISX-5). Since in EIT there are very specific requirements towards the injection between different sets of measurement ports however, not all multichannel impedance analyzers will be able to work in all EIT configurations. Additionally, the mode of data acquisition has to be adapted to the EIT cases. Thus, there is a specific class of instruments, optimized for EIT measurements – most of which employing architectures with semi- or fully parallel acquisition behind a flexible injection path selection matrix. Medical devices using EIT like the Dräger Pulmovista or Swisstom’s solutions for lung ventilation monitoring are the most prominent examples of this instrumentation type. There are also instruments more targeted at research applications like the ones provided by Sciospec with up to 256 channels of fully parallel EIT measurements.
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Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that involves measuring the impedance distribution within a body using electrical currents and voltage measurements. While it is best known for its medical uses, there are also a lot of other application scenarios for EIT:
Medical Imaging
Industrial Process Monitoring
EIT is applied in industrial settings for process monitoring and control, such as detecting changes in the composition of materials within pipelines or reactors. In various industrial processes, EIT is used as a tomographic imaging technique to visualize and monitor the distribution of a parameter within a medium. This includes applications in fluidized beds, gas-liquid flows, and mixing processes.
Material Characterization
EIT can be used to characterize the electrical properties of materials. This is relevant in fields like geophysics, where it may be employed for imaging the subsurface electrical properties of the Earth.
Biological Research
EIT is utilized in biological research to study the electrical properties of tissues and organs. This includes applications in studying muscle contraction, cell cultures, and other biological processes. With the emergence of 3D organoids as a major research interest, 3D EIT and cell culture level imaging have become a highly requested topic.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
EIT can be employed in non-destructive testing to inspect and monitor the structural integrity of materials, identifying defects or changes in material properties without damaging the object.
Environmental Monitoring:
EIT has been explored for environmental monitoring, such as detecting and imaging changes in soil moisture content or pollutant concentrations in the ground.
Security and Surveillance
In security applications, EIT can be used for imaging concealed objects or monitoring changes in the electrical properties of materials in security screening scenarios.
It’s important to note that while EIT has a wide range of potential applications, its primary and most established use is in medical imaging, particularly for lung monitoring. Other applications are still areas of ongoing research and development, and the technology’s potential in these areas continuously evolves.
Sciospec offers electrical impedance tomography solutions both as standard instruments and as customer specific systems. For standard instruments the channel count ranges from 8 to 256. By default these systems have a pseudo differential current source for excitation signals up to 10 mA, a tightly synchronized data acquisition block for truly simultaneous sampling of all channels and an ultra-low leakage reed relay injection matrix for selection of any combination of channels for positive and negative injection. Some modules also support fast switching semiconductor switches as alternative injection matrix allowing for higher frame rates with the trade-off of increased parasitics. By default, all these systems allow for multifrequency (single sine sweep) measurements and any to any injection sequence configurations, enabling almost any electrode configuration – from standard ring arrangements over grid structures as used in planar EIT all the way to custom configurations. Integration times can be tuned in between maximum signal quality or maximum frame rate – e.g. for 32 measuring electrodes using 16 injections per frame can yield up to 73 fps with the low parasitic reed relay switches and up to 280 fps with faster semiconductor switches.
While all instruments offer single ended potential measurement, most of them also allow for differential measurements between two electrodes including options to choose between different pairs via software.
Frontend connections are available through a selection of cable connectors with banana plugs, miniature DSUB or coaxial standards like MCX being standard options. Sciospec also has edge card type connection options that allow for highly flexible connectivity through custom made connector cards (e.g. sensor carriers or custom-made cable sets). The instruments offer communication through Ethernet, high speed USB, isolated full speed USB with WIFI and Bluetooth as options. Through the integration of the optional medical grade isolation module low level GPIOs are another option for controlling the instrument through UART, SPI and parallel interface and fast hardware synchronization via sync ports. The Sciospec-COM-Interface API is available on any of these interfaces and allows for full instrument control from Java, Python, C, LabView, Matlab etc. A standard software for PC-based control & data analysis including image reconstruction for standard setups is also included. Sample code for EIDORS integration is available.
Advanced options like ECG synchronization or EIT synchronized stimulus generators open up a whole world of groundbreaking new research applications. To complete the EIT product range additional options like medical grade power supplies, electrical safety AC coupling frontends, EIT phantoms, EIT tanks, EIT belts, cables, sensor adapters, temperature control and IO modules are available. For more advanced non-standard setups Sciospec offers customizations and all EIT technology is also available as OEM modules for the integration into application specific systems.
In general, instruments for electrical impedance tomography work on similar principals as impedance analyzers and the same parameters are to be considered. When measuring electrical impedance, main specifications are frequency and impedance measurement ranges, accuracy, speed and points per sweep. Just as important are requirements of the test setup like 2, 3 or 4 electrode configuration, bias control and scalability – when it comes to multichannel or high throughput problems. Since most applications require special care contacting a “device under test” the interface and extension possibilities of the instruments are also to be considered.
Derived from this there are a few essential parameters that typically are used to specify an EIT instrument:
frame rate – the “speed” or “repetition rate” at which you are able to refresh the EIT derived image – usually measured in frames per second. This is a highly complex parameter that depends mainly on the measurement settings (frequencies and integration times) and the injection pattern. More injection pairs per frame slow down the measurement. An instrument with fast switching injection matrix and as many parallel acquisitions as possible increases the maximum possible frame rate.
bandwidth or frequency range – the range of frequencies that can be used for the EIT measurements.
port or channel count – Typically no less than 8 electrodes are used for an EIT measurement. The more common configurations use 16 or 32 electrodes and more complex setups nowadays can comprise as many as 256 electrodes (e.g. in multilayer arrangements and 3D EIT settings). It is very important to note, that using more electrodes also means that more measurements are necessary per frame. To make scaling as effortless as possible, Sciospec EIT systems feature fully parallel data acquisition. This way, a 32 injection pair EIT measurement takes the same time with 256 measurement ports as it would with only 32 ports. However, practically oftentimes, higher electrode count goes along with more injection pairs employed and thus there is still a dependency on maximum frame rate.
On top of these you should consider technical parameters like
excitation signal specifications, most importantly the set value and compliance ranges for both current and voltage or frequency resolution and accuracy. If you want to use EIT in a medical research setting, make sure to also check for the availability of medical safety measures and specifications. E.g. the Sciospec EIT products are available in a special medical research variant that includes a fully ISO 60601-1 compliant safety concept.
Sciospec develops high-performance systems for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) – an imaging method that visualizes spatial distributions of conductivity or impedance. EIT opens new possibilities where conventional imaging techniques reach their limits – such as in dynamic monitoring of biological processes, closed-loop systems or functional materials.
Our platform technology combines high flexibility, precise control, and a clear scaling path – proven in research, clinical settings and industrial applications worldwide.
Our EIT systems are designed for maximum adaptability. Channel count, frame rate, frequency range and current injection patterns can be tailored to your specific needs – whether you’re mapping material distributions, monitoring lung function in real time or analyzing electrical changes in industrial processes.
Our platforms scale from 16 to 256 channels and support high-resolution, high-speed imaging as well as robust, high-density sensor configurations. For clinical research, we offer systems with integrated medical safety features in accordance with IEC 60601-1.
To help you get started quickly, we also provide a ready-to-use LungEIT Kit – including electrodes, hardware and software for immediate lung monitoring in research environments.
In addition to standard instruments, we build custom EIT solutions as OEM modules or integrated systems. Our platforms seamlessly fit into existing devices and workflows – from compact modules to turnkey imaging systems.
Application examples range from implantable EIT and ventilation diagnostics to cancer research, materials science and chemical process control.
Planning an EIT-based application? Let’s make it happen – together.
Still not the perfect fit for your application?
Then let’s custom-tailor it for you!
Our modular plaform allows for cost-efficient customization while keeping the development risk low. So what will you need? An application specific multiplexing solution, a ready-to-go portable device for mobile health or a massive multichannel platform for a screening application? Just get in touch with us!
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Sciospec Scientific Instruments GmbH
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