Chapter 7 - Wearable Technologies and Force Myography for Healthcare

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing trend in wearable technologies being utilized for applications in personalized and clinical healthcare. This chapter discusses force myography (FMG), an emerging technique that uses force or strain sensors surrounding a limb to measure radial deformation and distinguish movements of tendons and muscles. FMG is capable of detecting grasping motions and has been demonstrated to have the capability of continuously tracking finger movements in controlled settings with high accuracy. The approach is noninvasive, low-cost, easy to use, and free of skin preparation, and skin-sweat interference, which offers particular advantages over commonly-used techniques for estimating hand and finger movements that include surface electromyography, vision systems, and accelerometers, making it a potential alternative to these techniques. FMG technology has shown great promise in being developed for biomedical and clinical applications, such as exercise and rehabilitation and for assisting disabled individuals through integration with external devices, such as arm prostheses. In this chapter, the mechanics of FMG will be explored, along with recent research conducted on the topic, to provide insight on the technology’s significant potential in monitoring and quantifying hand and finger movements in healthcare and home settings.