DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPLANTABLE EMG MICRO-TELEMETER

我们的目标是建立一个新的遥测可靠的肌电图（EMG）转录，将提供更高质量的假肢控制信号。EMG是按比例反映肌肉收缩力的电位记录。来自截肢者残端中的残余肌肉的EMG被用于控制电动假肢系统。对于截肢者，目前使用皮肤表面电极感测EMG。这些皮肤表面电极具有显著影响控制性能的实际限制。所提出的EMG遥测仪将由接触目标肌肉表面的双极电极和定制集成电路组成，以放大、编码和传输EMG信号。他们将展出：1）免于电磁干扰; 2）免于与相邻肌肉的串扰; 3）免于皮肤运动和传导干扰; 4）改善的信噪比幅度;以及5）改善的长期信号再现性。组装件将被封装，在盐水溶液中测试，并植入动物的肌肉表面。将使用皮肤电极、遥测仪和肌肉表面电极的有线连接的同步记录评价性能。记录保真度将随着时间的推移进行比较。将对植入器械周围组织的生物相容性和器械固定进行组织学评价。拟议的商业应用：肌电遥测仪可以改装到所有现有的肌电控制系统，因此将有大约10万美国公民的直接市场。其他应用包括所有可植入生物传感器系统的按需遥测数据。生理学应用的小市场也可能存在。

The objective is to establish a new telemeter for reliable ElectroMyoGram (EMG) transcription that will provide higher quality prosthesis control signals. EMGs are electrical potential recordings that proportionally reflect the contractile force of a muscle. EMGs from residual muscles in an amputee's stump are used to control electrically powered prosthetic systems. For amputees, EMGs are currently sensed using skin surface electrodes. These skin surface electrodes have practical limitations that significantly affect control performance. The proposed EMG telemeters will consist of bipolar electrodes that contact the surface of the target muscle and custom integrated circuits to amplify, encode and transmit the EMG signal. They will exhibit: 1) freedom from electromagnetic interference; 2) immunity from crosstalk with adjacent muscles; 3) freedom from skin motion and conductivity interference; 4) improved signal to noise amplitudes; and 5) improved long-term signal reproducibility. Assemblies will be encapsulated, tested in saline solution and implanted on the surface of muscles in animals. Performance will be evaluated using simultaneous recordings from skin electrodes, the telemeters, and from wired connections to the electrodes on the surface of the muscle. Recording fidelity will be compared over time. Tissue surrounding the implanted devices will be histologically evaluated for biocompatibility and device fixation. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: EMG telemeters could be retrofitted to all existing myoelectric control systems and thus would have an immediate market of about 100,000 US citizens. Other applications include telemetry of data on demand for all implantable biosensor systems. A small market for physiology applications may also exist.