A 3-D-Printed Portable EMG Wristband for the Quantitative Detection of Finger Motion

Abstract

It is highly required to develop an affordable surface electromyography (EMG) wristband for the improved control of prostheses that is suitable to mimic human hand functions. By using the 3D-printing technology, the wristband is customizable and feasible for various arm sizes or shapes. In this paper, we have developed the 3D printed wristband for the control application. It consists of five pairs of custom-made serpentine dry electrodes, one EMG sensor, and one signal processing printed circuit board (PCB) to detect the user’s finger movements simultaneously. The wristband demonstrated its stability in EMG signal processing with a single-sensor system, which differed from other multi-sensor system devices. We verified the stability of the serpentine electrodes as bendable and stretchable. The serpentine electrodes have improved signal detection by providing conformal contact to the skin surface compared with the existing rigid dry electrodes. The flexibility allowed the electrodes to be placed in any shape of the skin surface. In a series of tests performed by the volunteer, we showed that the collected EMG signals reflected the muscle movements through signal processing. Under the muscle contraction of 75 lb, the wristband showed a signal sensitivity of 0.556 mV/lb with a 27 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for its valid EMG sensing capability. In addition, we also demonstrated the relationship between signal intensities and muscle forces at the different levels quantitatively. This work shows promising potential toward the advanced control system of prosthetic fields and its corresponding market.