Electromyography,

Myoelectric signals and their

use in Controlling Prosthetic
Limbs
Brian Kennedy

What Is Electromyography?
Electromyography is a procedure to
test for electrical activity
Needles!
Solid, not hollow, so less pain
Contracting muscles

Why is EMG so Important?

Used for a vast number of
applications
Diagnose Diseases
Gives better insight into the human
body
Helps develop new prosthetic
technologies

A Particular EMG Setup

How Muscles Work

Myosin and Actin are the main
contributors to muscle contraction
Myosin grabs the actin and pulls to
shorten the sarcomere
This shortening is the act of muscle
contraction

Myoelectric Signals
Electric signals that make muscles
contract
Much less electrical current in
muscles than in your house
EMG is able to detect these signals
Signals are decoded and used for
research

The Phantom Limb

Patients who have lost limb still
Feel
Myoelectric signals still being
produced
Research found that these signals
could be tapped into

Progression of Traditional
Prosthetics

Originating from the peg leg

Growing to a simple mechanical bend
Electricity added
Grasping of simple objects with four
fingers
Individual finger control

Picture History of
Prosthetics

Electric Switch Prosthetics

Require cables or straps to control
Body movement required to operate
prostheses
For Example..
Protraction pushed a switch to extend the
arm
Retraction of the shoulder would hit
another switch to flex the arm
Elevation opened up a hook-hand

Problems of Electric Switch

Prosthetics

Can be cumbersome to operate

Simple grasping ability
Normally not enough grip strength
Simple motions do not mimic normal
fluid human motion

Benefits of Myoelectric Control

Schemes

Why Use Myoelectric

Controls?
Myoelectric controls give feedback to
the prosthetic purely based on
signals from your muscles
Does not require extra movement
More precise than electric switch

Disadvantages of a Myoelectric
Control Scheme
Difficulty in determining strength
Non-invasive receiving methods
dont create accurate enough signals
Other muscle functions determine
movement. Grip etc. . Not just
Myoelectric signals

A Successful Myoelectric
Prosthetic
The i-LIMB by Touch Bionics
Uses Myoelectric controls to
manipulate individual digits
Rotating thumb

But Wait, Theres More!

i-LIMB solves the issue of grip
strength
Individual Sensors for each finger
Knows when object has enough
pressure applied for grip
Fingers lock into position

Fitting Into Society

Many owners of prosthetics feel like
they dont fit into society
Bulky prostheses and unnatural
movement
Dont act like actual human body
parts
Anatomically out of place

Solution to the Problem

The i-LIMB rests in an anatomically
natural position
Looks like the real finger structure of
a human
Acts in very similar manner to a real
human hand
Add LIVINGSKIN to make it look just
like real

Can You Tell the Difference?

LIVINGSKIN
Makes Prosthetic look
amazingly realistic
Touch Bionics
developed the
product to be applied
to i-LIMB but other
prosthetics can have
the technology
applied
Skin is painted to
match your own
body, not just a
cookie cutter hand

LIVINGSKIN
The Hand to the right
has the LIVINGSKIN
applied
All skin types and
colors are made to
purely personal
specifications
Hair is even painted
on to maximize
detail

Resources

"Electric Power in Upper Limb Prosthetics The Michigan Experience | ICIB Online Library, 1983
|." ACPOC - Association of Children's Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.acpoc.org/library/1983_04_001.asp>.
"Electromyography (EMG)." Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.emedicinehealth.com/electromyography_emg/article_em.htm>.
"HowStuffWorks "Contracting a Muscle"" Howstuffworks "Health" Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
<http://health.howstuffworks.com/muscle2.htm>.
"Myoelectric prosthesis -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoelectric>.
"Quantifying Pattern RecognitionBased Myoelectric ... [IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng.
2010] - PubMed result." National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071269?
itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=
2>.
"Simulated neuroprosthesis state activation and hand-position control using myoelectric
signals from wrist muscles." Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Home Page.
Web. 09 Feb. 2010. <http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/04/41/3b/knutson.html>.
"Surface electromyography and muscle force: limits ... [Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2009] PubMed result." National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18849097?
ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_SingleIte
mSupl.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed>.
Touch Bionics. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. <http://www.touchbionics.com/i-LIMB/controls>.
Touch Bionics. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. <http://www.touchbionics.com/LIVINGSKIN>.
"Welcome to IEEE Xplore 2.0: Physiology and Mathematics of Myoelectric Signals." IEEE Xplore:
Guest Home Page. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumbe