MyoBan · wireless Body Area Networks for high density MYOelectric neurorehabilitation technologies

wireless Body Area Networks for high density MYOelectric neurorehabilitation technologies

The goal of the project MYOBAN is the development of a new system for the recording and wireless transmission of multiple surface HD EMG (High Density Electromyography) electrodes in real-time. The system will overcome the current limitations based on wired technology for the translation of the HD EMG systems into clinical applications. The increased number of elderly people in developed countries will require focusing on innovative solutions to overcome the consequences of motor disability due to cardiovascular or degenerative diseases. This means that motor impairment as, decrease in muscle strength, low manual dexterity and difficulty in the coordination of multiple muscle groups will affect a bigger number of people in the next future. Therapies can increase muscle tone, improve coordination of multiple muscles and re-activate the brain areas involved in planning and execution of voluntary movements. Rehabilitation treatments are essential to provide independence of self-care activities, walking with or without assistive devices and improve cognitive skills. Nevertheless, classic therapies do not heal motor impairment with consequent limitations in independent living. The limited understanding of human control of movements and the impossibility to evaluate reliably the motor deficit at the muscle and neural level are the main reasons for the poor outcome of classic therapies. In the last few years, a new generation of assisting devices for rehabilitation has been developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rehabilitation procedures. The main idea behind these new systems is the detection and interpretation of the muscle activation signals (EMG) and provide biofeedback to the physical therapist for tuning the rehabilitation protocols in real-time. The project focused on the development of a new generation of wireless surface HD EMG systems that will be used in future neurorehabilitation technologies. The devices include innovative processing of the HD EMG recordings, to reduce the amount of data transmitted, and a communication standard which respect the requirements for body area network. The final aim was the production of small HD EMG system that can be placed on the surface of multiple muscles of the patients with minimal invasiveness.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union