ECG Signal Explorer
A 12-lead ECG records the heart's electrical activity. In practice, the raw signal is never clean — noise from electrode contact, patient movement, and powerline interference all degrade it. Use the sliders to see how common artifacts corrupt a waveform, and why robust preprocessing matters before any algorithm can interpret what's clinically meaningful.
What you're seeing
Gaussian Noise
Random electrode-skin impedance fluctuations and thermal noise from the amplifier. Broadband, additive, and the most common artifact in ambulatory recordings.
Baseline Wander
Low-frequency drift from respiration and body movement. Shifts the isoelectric line, making ST-segment analysis unreliable without a high-pass filter.
Muscle Artifact
Electromyographic contamination from skeletal muscle. Appears as high-frequency bursts that can mask P-waves and distort QRS morphology.