Protocolo para la adquisición de señales mioeléctricas de los músculos inervados por los nervios ulnar, radial y medial para una órtesis de mano

Abstract

An orthosis is an external device applied to the body at the time of a structural, functional or disability impairment, which over the years has demonstrated its benefits in rehabilitation and functionality. Currently, there are active orthotics of general design. This suggests some adaptability in the person who has a disability, leading to an inadequate use of the orthotics in many cases. An alternative is the design of orthoses in a specific way, which has limited studies. This is the case of the hand, which is one of the organs with greater external functionality in the human body and which is directly related to daily activities such as feeding and non-verbal communication, mainly. This project proposes a protocol for the acquisition of myoelectric signals in the muscles of the upper limb. They are innervated by the radial, medial and ulnar nerve, which are responsible for the movements of flexion, extension, ulnar and radial deviation of the hand. They also have to do with metacarpophalangeal flexion, metacarpophalangeal extension, and opposition and thumb adduction. In the future, this project can be used as a guiding base for the design and construction of a specific functional active hand orthosis. This study includes the generation of patterns of each movement and the comparison of the magnitude of the myoelectric signal, in order to determine the specific location of the electrodes. Samples of the signals were made in six people without disabilities, non-invasively. The points of greatest innervation detected by the surface electrodes in each muscle were determined. Seven (7) protocols and / or recommendations for the location of sensors in the muscles with reference in the SENIAM were obtained, with the aim of defining the appropriate combinations for the design of an active orthosis. Finally, with this study it is possible to determine the location of the electrodes for the proper classification of the eight (8) movements. Depending on the disability to be treated, the designer and / or manufacturer of the orthosis will be free to determine the necessary number of devices electronic devices according to the needs. The idea is to avoid overloaded systems of devices (sensors, actuators) that can generate trauma during the use of the orthosis and even its uselessness due to ergonomics problems or simply due to the weight of the device.