A novel approach to detect localized muscle fatigue during isometric exercises

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a localized muscle fatigue detection system to assist patients during isometric exercise. A mobile device is fastened to the forehand of the subject to receive electromyography (EMG) signals sent wirelessly from BITalino board. Our proposed system then uses surface electromyography (sEMG) technique to capture electromyography (EMG) signals that are processed in time-frequency domain using short-term Fourier transform. The vibration speed received through accelerometer sensor caused by the muscle fatigue at biceps brachii of a subject is calculated in parallel. The downward shift in Median Frequency and increase in vibration speed are taken as parameters to determine the localized muscle fatigue. Results indicate that localized muscle fatigue can be observed effectively with these two parameters combined together.