scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of a Surface Electromyography-Controlled Steering Assistance Interface

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edric Nacpil ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Rencheng Zheng ◽  
Tsutomu Kaizuka ◽  
Kimihiko Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Steering Wheel ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Shoulder Muscle ◽  
Turning Radius ◽  
Human Participants

Millions of drivers could experience shoulder muscle overload when rapidly rotating steering wheels and reduced steering ability at increased steering wheel angles. In order to address these issues for drivers with disability, surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors measuring biceps brachii muscle activity were incorporated into a steering assistance system for remote steering wheel rotation. The path-following accuracy of the sEMG interface with respect to a game steering wheel was evaluated through driving simulator trials. Human participants executed U-turns with differing radii of curvature. For a radius of curvature equal to the minimum vehicle turning radius of 3.6 m, the sEMG interface had significantly greater accuracy than the game steering wheel, with intertrial median lateral errors of 0.5 m and 1.2 m, respectively. For a U-turn with a radius of 7.2 m, the sEMG interface and game steering wheel were comparable in accuracy, with respective intertrial median lateral errors of 1.6 m and 1.4 m. The findings of this study could be utilized to realize accurate sEMG-controlled automobile steering for persons with disability.

scholarly journals A surface electromyography controlled steering assistance interface

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edric John Cruz Nacpil ◽  
Rencheng Zheng ◽  
Tsutomu Kaizuka ◽  
Kimihiko Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Steering Wheel ◽  
Shoulder Injury ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Machine Interface ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Semg Signals

Purpose Two-handed automobile steering at low vehicle speeds may lead to reduced steering ability at large steering wheel angles and shoulder injury at high steering wheel rates (SWRs). As a first step toward solving these problems, this study aims, firstly, to design a surface electromyography (sEMG) controlled steering assistance interface that enables hands-free steering wheel rotation and, secondly, to validate the effect of this rotation on path-following accuracy. Design/methodology/approach A total of 24 drivers used biceps brachii sEMG signals to control the steering assistance interface at a maximized SWR in three driving simulator scenarios: U-turn, 90º turn and 45º turn. For comparison, the scenarios were repeated with a slower SWR and a game steering wheel in place of the steering assistance interface. The path-following accuracy of the steering assistance interface would be validated if it was at least comparable to that of the game steering wheel. Findings Overall, the steering assistance interface with a maximized SWR was comparable to a game steering wheel. For the U-turn, 90º turn and 45º turn, the sEMG-based human–machine interface (HMI) had median lateral errors of 0.55, 0.3 and 0.2 m, respectively, whereas the game steering wheel, respectively, had median lateral errors of 0.7, 0.4 and 0.3 m. The higher accuracy of the sEMG-based HMI was statistically significant in the case of the U-turn. Originality/value Although production automobiles do not use sEMG-based HMIs, and few studies have proposed sEMG controlled steering, the results of the current study warrant further development of a sEMG-based HMI for an actual automobile.

scholarly journals Surface Electromyography-Controlled Automobile Steering Assistance

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edric John Cruz Nacpil ◽  
Kimihiko Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Steering Wheel ◽  
Upper Limb Amputation ◽  
Myo Armband ◽  
Turning Radius ◽  
Minimum Turning Radius

Disabilities of the upper limb, such as hemiplegia or upper limb amputation, can limit automobile drivers to steering with one healthy arm. For the benefit of these drivers, recent studies have developed prototype interfaces that realized surface electromyography (sEMG)-controlled steering assistance with path-following accuracy that has been validated with driving simulations. In contrast, the current study expands the application of sEMG-controlled steering assistance by validating the Myo armband, a mass-produced sEMG-based interface, with respect to the path-following accuracy of a commercially available automobile. It was hypothesized that one-handed remote steering with the Myo armband would be comparable or superior to the conventional operation of the automobile steering wheel. Although results of low-speed field testing indicate that the Myo armband had lower path-following accuracy than the steering wheel during a 90° turn and wide U-turn at twice the minimum turning radius, the Myo armband had superior path-following accuracy for a narrow U-turn at the minimum turning radius and a 45° turn. Given its overall comparability to the steering wheel, the Myo armband could be feasibly applied in future automobile studies.

Analysis of Muscle Activity Using Surface Electromyography for Muscle Performance in Manual Lifting Task

2014 ◽  
Vol 564 ◽  
pp. 644-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halim Isa ◽  
Rawaida ◽  
Seri Rahayu Kamat ◽  
A. Rohana ◽  
Adi Saptari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Twist Angle ◽  
Erector Spinae ◽  
Manual Lifting ◽  
Experienced Fatigue ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Lifting Task ◽  
Load Mass

In industries, manual lifting is commonly practiced even though mechanized material handling equipment are provided. Manual lifting is used to transport or move products and goods to a desired place.Improper lifting techniquescontribute to muscle fatigue and low back pain that can lead to work efficiency and low productivity.The objective of this study were to analyze muscle activity in the left and right Erector Spinae, and left and right Biceps Brachii of five female subjects while performing manual lifting taskwithdifferent load mass, lifting height and twist angle.The muscle activitywere measured and analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG).This study found that the right Biceps Brachii, right and left Erector Spinae experienced fatigue while performingasymmetric lifting (twist angle = 90°) at lifting height of 75 cm and 140 cm with load mass of 5 kg and 10 kg. Meanwhile, the left Biceps Brachii experienced fatigue when the lifting task was set at lifting height of 75 cm, load mass of 5 kg and twist angle of 90°.The load mass and lifting height has a significant influence to Mean Power Frequency (MPF) for left Biceps Brachii, left and right Erector Spinae. This study concluded that reducing the load mass can increase the muscles performance which can extend the transition-to-fatigue stage in the left and right Biceps Brachii and Erector Spinae.

Forelimb brachial muscle activation patterns using surface electromyography and their relationship to kinematics in normal dogs walking and trotting

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.C. Garcia ◽  
B.K. Sturges ◽  
S.M. Stover ◽  
K. Aoki ◽  
J.M. Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Elbow Flexor ◽  
Median Frequency ◽  
Joint Angles ◽  
Muscle Activation Patterns ◽  
The Right ◽  
Elbow Extensor

The objective of this study was to determine activity of the elbow flexor and elbow extensor groups of muscles relative to shoulder and elbow joint kinematics in normal walking and trotting dogs using surface electromyography (EMG), and to determine if muscle activity varies with gait or limb. Ten healthy mixed-breed dogs were walked and trotted across embedded force plates in a 6 m walkway while simultaneously recording muscle activation using surface EMG positioned over the biceps brachii (elbow flexor group) and triceps brachii (elbow extensor group); peak shoulder, elbow, and carpal joint angles from motion capture, and ground reaction forces. EMG magnitude, timing, and power spectral density (PSD) were used to analyse muscle activity. The effects of gait type and limb side on EMG measures and joint angles were assessed using an analysis of variance. Results showed that the elbow flexor group was maximally active at end of stance. The elbow extensor group was maximally active at the beginning of stance. Muscle activity occurred earlier in the gait phase (stance or swing) in the trot compared to the walk. The amplitude, frequency at maximum PSD (elbow flexor group only) and the median frequency were larger on the right side than on the left side. The maximum PSD and integrated PSD were larger on the left side than the right side. These data provide a reference for identifying abnormalities associated with orthopaedic, neurological, or rehabilitative changes. Limb asymmetry observed in muscle activation in clinically normal dogs should be further evaluated.

scholarly journals Explicit feedback and instruction do not change shoulder muscle activity reduction after shoulder fixation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo S. Maeda ◽  
Julia M. Zdybal ◽  
Paul L. Gribble ◽  
J. Andrew Pruszynski
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Shoulder Joint ◽  
The Third ◽  
Task Instructions ◽  
Visual Biofeedback ◽  
Shoulder Muscle ◽  
Intersegmental Dynamics ◽  
Elbow Movement ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
And Task

AbstractGenerating pure elbow rotation requires contracting muscles at both the shoulder and elbow joints to counter torques that arise at the shoulder when the forearm rotates (i.e., intersegmental dynamics). Previous work has shown that human participants learn to reduce their shoulder muscle activity if the same elbow movement is performed after the shoulder joint is mechanically locked, which is appropriate because locking the shoulder joint eliminates the torques that arise at the shoulder when the forearm rotates. However, this learning is slow (i.e., it unfolds over hundreds of trials) and incomplete (i.e., shoulder activity is not fully eliminated). Here we investigated whether and how the addition of explicit strategies and biofeedback modulate this type of learning. Three groups of human participants (N = 55) performed voluntary pure elbow rotations using a robotic exoskeleton that permits shoulder and elbow rotation in a horizontal plane. Participants did the task with the shoulder free to move (baseline), then with the shoulder joint locked by the robotic manipulandum (adaptation), and then with the shoulder free to move again (post-adaptation). The first group of participants performed this protocol and received no instructions about what to do after their shoulder was locked. The second group of participants received visual feedback about their shoulder muscle activity after each movement and was instructed to reduce their shoulder activity to zero. The third group of participants also received visual biofeedback, but it was removed part way through the experiment. We found that, although all groups learned, the rate and magnitude of learning was not reliably different across the groups. Taken together, our results suggest that learning new arm dynamics, unlike other motor learning paradigms, unfolds independent of explicit instructions, biofeedback and task instructions.

scholarly journals Clinical Use of Surface Electromyography to Track Acute Upper Extremity Muscle Recovery after Stroke: A Descriptive Case Study of a Single Patient

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Heather A. Feldner ◽  
Christina Papazian ◽  
Keshia M. Peters ◽  
Claire J. Creutzfeldt ◽  
Katherine M. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Inpatient Rehabilitation ◽  
Stroke Survivor ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Stroke Recovery ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
Sensing Technology

Arm recovery varies greatly among stroke survivors. Wearable surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors have been used to track recovery in research; however, sEMG is rarely used within acute and subacute clinical settings. The purpose of this case study was to describe the use of wireless sEMG sensors to examine changes in muscle activity during acute and subacute phases of stroke recovery, and understand the participant’s perceptions of sEMG monitoring. Beginning three days post-stroke, one stroke survivor wore five wireless sEMG sensors on his involved arm for three to four hours, every one to three days. Muscle activity was tracked during routine care in the acute setting through discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Three- and eight-month follow-up sessions were completed in the community. Activity logs were completed each session, and a semi-structured interview occurred at the final session. The longitudinal monitoring of muscle and movement recovery in the clinic and community was feasible using sEMG sensors. The participant and medical team felt monitoring was unobtrusive, interesting, and motivating for recovery, but desired greater in-session feedback to inform rehabilitation. While barriers in equipment and signal quality still exist, capitalizing on wearable sensing technology in the clinic holds promise for enabling personalized stroke recovery.

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