Advanced Methods of Human Machine Interface for Improved Myoelectric Control

虽然假肢设计在过去几十年里有了很大的发展，但目前的假肢并不能完全取代复杂的、多功能的人类假肢。材料和技术的进步带来了人机界面的改善，但操作可能会很慢，而且往往不直观，导致用户不满并放弃设备。传统上，表面肌电(EMG)被用作电动上肢假体的控制输入。多通道信号记录或高密度肌电(HDEMG)的出现是一种很有前途的技术，它可以从多个紧密间隔的电极收集信号，从而产生准确和详细的肌肉激活数据。利用HDEMG中包含的信息将推动开发具有多功能控制的灵巧上肢假体的研究。通过脑电(EEG)将HDEMG数据与神经活动测量相结合，将进一步提高知识，以检查设备使用者的认知负担。将这些生物信号结合起来的能力将推动开发假肢的努力。拟议的研究计划将在新不伦瑞克大学的安德鲁·麦凯恩和玛乔丽·麦凯恩人类行为实验室(HPL)进行。HPL是UNB运动学系内最先进的研究、教育和临床服务设施。HPL配备了高度专业化的设备来研究人体运动，并在假肢设计、控制和开发方面拥有丰富的经验。这项研究计划旨在开发更直观的肌电控制系统，能够实现多自由度，更接近于完整的人类肢体。通过使用包括HDEMG和EEG在内的生物传感器，我们将探索肌肉和神经成分的肌肉激活和信号控制，以开发新的肌电控制方法。数据的分析将需要先进的信号处理技术，以及研究肌肉行为和神经肌肉功能的新算法的开发。我们还将利用最近无线传感器技术的巨大增长来开发获得肌肉数据的新的创新系统(例如电子纺织品)。这项研究在从假体设计到外骨骼开发的许多生物医学工程领域都有应用。在接下来的五年里，拟议的研究计划将支持四名研究生和四名本科生，并为他们提供最先进的肌电控制系统和假体设计方面的重要培训。

While prosthesis design has evolved greatly over the last several decades, current artificial limbs do not fully replace the intricate, multifunctional human limb. Advancements in materials and technology have led to improved human¬ machine interfaces, but operations can be slow and are often not intuitive, leading to user dissatisfaction and abandonment of the device. Traditionally, surface electromyography (EMG) is used as the control input for powered upper limb prostheses. The advent of multichannel signal recordings or high density EMG (HDEMG) is a promising technique that collects signals from many closely spaced electrodes, resulting in accurate and detailed muscle activation data. Harnessing the information contained within HDEMG will advance research towards the development of a dexterous upper limb prosthesis with multifunction control. Combining HDEMG data with neural actitivty measure through electroencaephalography (EEG) will further advance knowledge to examine cognitive burden on the device user. The ability to combine these biological signals will advance efforts to develop artificial limbs. The proposed research program will be conducted in the Andrew and Marjorie McCain Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) at the University of New Brunswick. The HPL is a state¬-of¬-the-¬art research, education and clinical service facility within the Faculty of Kinesiology at UNB. The HPL is well equipped with highly specialized equipment to study human movement and has significant experience in prosthesis design, control and development. This research program aims to develop more intuitive myoelectric control systems that are capable of many degrees of freedom to more closely resemble intact human limbs. Through the use of biological sensors including HDEMG and EEG we will explore muscular and neural components of muscle activation and signal control to develop new methods of myoelectric control. Analysis of the data will require advanced signal processing techniques as well as the development of new algorithms to investigate muscle behavior and neuromuscular function. We will also exploit the tremendous recent increase in availability of wireless sensor technology to develop new and innovative systems of obtaining muscle data (for example e¬textiles). This research has applications in a number of areas of biomedical engineering from prosthesis design to development of exoskeletons. Over the next five years, the proposed research program will support four graduate students and four undergraduate students and provide them with significant training in state¬-of-¬the-¬art myoelectric control systems and prosthesis design.