Design of an advanced sEMG processor for wearable robotics applications

Abstract

This thesis presents the design and evaluation of a surface electromyography(sEMG) acquisition platform specialized for wearable robotic applications. While sEMG is one of the best ways to interpret human muscle and neural activity, the research field in wearable robotics has limitations in utilizing sEMG signals with commercially-available sEMG acquisition platforms. These limitations include a large and bulky electronics package, poor portability, insufficient electrode versatility, and limited reconfigurability. This thesis aims to present an effective design that provides solutions to these many difficulties while insuring robustness and acquisition signal quality. The thesis reasons and explains in detail every design decision and process among the system development and manufacturing. The evaluation of the manufactured system compared to a benchtop state-of-the-art sEMG recording platform is demonstrated. Practical utility of the developed sEMG measurement system is also demonstrated with a real world wearable robotic application.