Microcontroller-based assistive device for training weak biceps brachii muscle

Abstract

A person with a certain degree of biceps brachii muscle weakness will not able to move the lower hand. The muscle needs contraction and relaxation practice regularly to avoid the condition getting worse. An electromyography-based assistive device has been developed. It uses biopotential signals from biceps brachii muscle when contracted and relaxed to control the elbow flexion and extension movement of the weak hand. The device uses a Muscle Sensor V3 module to sense the muscle biopotential signals, and also an Arduino Nano 3.0 microcontroller module and a servo motor to control the elbow movement. The elbow movement is limited to 90° to its maximum degree of movement at 170°. It is the range of elbow movement that used in a method to work out the biceps brachii muscle. The starting process needs to adjust elbow position manually using potentiometer to 90° angles. This device can work properly when stimulated by the biceps brachii muscle biopotential signals and produce as low as 0,0977V at the input of the internal ADC of Arduino Uno 3.0 when the muscle contracted and lower than that voltage when it relaxed. The device consumes low power to operate at 0.374watts.