Wearable Ultrasound Sensors for Sonomyography in Robotic Prosthesis and Augmentation

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This project aims to demonstrate the potential of sonomyography as an imaging technique for the assessment of muscle activity which could lead to more efficient and accurate diagnosis of myopathies and damage to the peripheral nervous system. In order to do this, the first step will be to decide the best material for such a task. Since this project will be focused around the use of microultrasound through a flexible piezoelectric sensor, the main materials found to be of interest have been lead zirconate titanate (PZT), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and aluminium nitride (AIN) since these have shown adequate results as demonstrated in the state of the art. It is worth noting that microultrasound, also known as high-frequency ultrasound, has been chosen because of the enhanced spatial resolution that it offers, although this could pose an obstacle due to the imaging depth decreasing. Such an obstacle could be potentially avoided by making this an implantable device, which will also be investigated during the project.Once the most suitable material is chosen, the device will go through different design phases: single electrode, array, acoustic matching layer and acoustic lens, in order to optimise the design proposed. Finally, the project will conclude by investigating the modulation on the muscles caused by the microultrasound patch design. Such methodology has been previously shown in the literature.