Abstract:
Myoelectric prosthesis are aids that try to give back to patients a bit of autonomy and
indipendence in their life. Several control techniques were explored in the past, but still the
electromyographic (EMG) control remains the most widely used method. Most of the
commercial EMG electrodes for prosthetic control available on the market modify the
acquired signal acting a heavy frequency filtering, making the signal more clear and better
suitable for prosthetic control even if the information related to its frequency behaviour are
lost. This information instead would be precious for a frequency analysis, to face and solve
the problem of musclular fatigue, an effect that arises in case both of repetitive movements
and sustained isometric contraction, as literature reports, causing an amplitude increasing and
a spectrum shift toward lower frequencies of the EMG signal. This, in turn, can cause
problems in the control of myoelectric prostheses [1]. The aim of this work is hence to
illustrate the design of a new EMG electrode suitable both for prosthetic control and
frequency analisys, taking into account the problem of muscular fatigue.
