EMG controlled myoelectric upper limb prosthetic

A prosthetic is an artificial device that substitutes for a missing limb of an amputee. The development of prosthetic hands aims to give people the ability to recover the functionality needed to manipulate objects in their daily environment. An advanced way to control a prosthetic limb is known as t

Project Title

EMG controlled myoelectric upper limb prosthetic

Project Area of Specialization

Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary

A prosthetic is an artificial device that substitutes for a missing limb of an amputee. The development of prosthetic hands aims to give people the ability to recover the functionality needed to manipulate objects in their daily environment. An advanced way to control a prosthetic limb is known as the myoelectric method. Myoelectric prostheses are powered by the muscle electric signals taken of the remnant limb. They have a microcontroller that reads these muscle signals and translate them into different movements by means of motors. Usually each finger of the prosthesis has a motor, allowing the hand to move and grip in a natural and coordinated manner. The prosthetics are designed to perform everyday activities, such as eating, opening doors, turning on lights etc. but  the main drawback with commercial prosthesis is their high acquisition costs (unit cost of between US $ 25,000 - $35,000 in USA and Pakistan made prosthesis are approx. $2000 or more), which makes them nearly inaccessible for most of the potential users.

In this project, we will be utilizing a commercial muscle sensor to pick the signals from the body, an Arduino module to process these signals, software to classify these signals and convert them into hand movements by controlling the movement of the artificial hand within an adequate performance range. Generally, an adult human hand has a weight of 598g-600g. We aim to design a lighter trans-radial prosthetic hand keeping this weight range in mind so that it is better for people with high-level amputations, who otherwise find it cumbersome due to the power and weight constraints of the entire prosthetic arm.

Project Objectives

• Project intend is a light weight, cost effective and Wireless EMG controlled Trans-radial prosthesis with the prime aim to improve affordability of robotic prosthesis for low-income people with ease of implementation, increasing practicality for daily use.
• Our designed prosthesis will be able to move fingers, grasp objects, allow to open and close doors in a close to natural and coordinated way.
• We aim to create a convenient mechanical design, to have a minimum weight and size and maximum energy storage with Bluetooth connectivity and rechargeable batteries. For this purpose, we will be using Myoarm band with motives of convenience for the users to familiarize with the system. The aimed project will work with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices through Bluetooth Smart providing us with Wireless control technology.

Project Implementation Method

• For the development of the wireless, rechargeable trans-radial prosthetic hand required components are Myo arm band, Arduino UNO, Servomotors, 3D printed prosthetic hand, Lithium Ion Batteries and computing devices. The soft wares required will be Myo connect software, MATLAB and AutoCAD.
• The 3D designing will be done using AutoCAD. For 3D printing the material we will use is Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) which is a thermoplastic and is derived from sugar. It is carbon free material, PLA when heated above 180° C becomes mold-able and upon cooling hard. It is used with 3D Printer because it is reusable, light, has strength and produces products with high quality.
• Myoelectric prostheses exploit EMG signals voluntarily generated by the user to record EMG activity through the use of a Myoarm band comprising of 8 sensors wrapped around the user’s arm.
• As EMG is an extremely noisy signal by nature due to crosstalk, the acquired EMG signals will be processed to remove unwanted noise and later amplified. This will be accomplished through the filters and amplifiers present in the Myoarm band and its associated software.
• They will be further filtered in MATLAB through digital Butterworth filters. Here features are acquired from the signal, are classified for movement control and sent to Arduino. This will define the prosthetic movement via servomotors (actuators)
• The Arduino Uno manages the signal to be sent to the respective servo motors accordingly.
• Finally, this will define the prosthesis movement via servomotors (actuators) that will control and drive the prosthetic hand accordingly with the support of fishing lines.

Benefits of the Project

Myoelectric prosthesis are the most promising devices for restoring some of the missing limb’s functions. The core benefits of the project would be,

• Affordability: This project will offer improved affordability for low-income people by use of locally available components other than the sensor. A single Myoarm band will do this as separate EMG sensors are an expensive and inefficient way to go.
• Improved mobility and independence: This prosthetic hand will play an important role in the life of upper limb amputees as it will offer the ability to manage few daily activities as well as provide the means to stay independent in performing hand related tasks.
• Convenience and user friendliness: Wireless connectivity and Bluetooth technology is utilized for easy wear ability and easy on the go usage with seamless combination of circuits.
• Non-Invasive and Light weight: With the use of SG90 servo motors in the wearable band, lightest of its type and light material selected for 3D printing, the designed prosthesis will be light weight and a non-invasive solution for daily activities.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• The final deliverable will be a wearable and rechargeable arm band along with a 3D printed hand/gripper.
• This will be wireless with the use of Bluetooth and fishing lines will not be visible across our trans-radial prosthesis as they will be embedded in our 3D prototype.
• The designed prosthesis will allow flexion and extension of fingers, opposition of digits and its reposition, open hand and power grip movements.
• Amputee will be able to move fingers to grip objects and perform everyday activities such as hand shake, opening doors, turning on lights etc.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Health

Other Industries

IT , Medical

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

3D/4D Printing, Wearables and Implantables

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com