Surface EMG classification during dynamic contractions for multifunction transradial prostheses

Support vectors machine classification of surface electromyography for non-invasive naturally controlled hand prostheses

The scientific researches in human rehabilitation techniques have continually evolved to offer again the mobility and freedom lost to disability. Many systems managed by myoelectric signals intended to mimic the movement of the human arm still have results considered partial, which makes it subject of many researches. The use of Natural Interfaces Signal Processing methods makes possible to design systems capable of offering prosthesis in a more natural and intuitive way. This paper presents a study investigating the use of forearm surface electromyography (sEMG) signals for classification of specific movements of hand using 12 sEMG channels and support vector machine (SVM). The system acquired the sEMG signal using a virtual model as a visual stimulus in order to demonstrate to the volunteer the hand movements which must be replicated by them. The Root Mean Square (RMS) value feature is extracted of the signal and it serves as input data for the classification with SVM. The classification stage used three types of kernel functions (linear, polynomial, radial basis) for comparison of the results. The average accuracy reached for the classification of seventeen distinct movements of 83.7% was achieved using the SVM linear classifier, 80.8% was achieved using the SVM polynomial classifier and 85.1% was achieved using the SVM radial basis classifier.

The role of feed-forward and feedback processes for closed-loop prosthesis control

Background

It is widely believed that both feed-forward and feed-back mechanisms are required for successful object manipulation. Open-loop upper-limb prosthesis wearers receive no tactile feedback, which may be the cause of their limited dexterity and compromised grip force control. In this paper we ask whether observed prosthesis control impairments are due to lack of feedback or due to inadequate feed-forward control.

Methods

Healthy subjects were fitted with a closed-loop robotic hand and instructed to grasp and lift objects of different weights as we recorded trajectories and force profiles. We conducted three experiments under different feed-forward and feed-back configurations to elucidate the role of tactile feedback (i) in ideal conditions, (ii) under sensory deprivation, and (iii) under feed-forward uncertainty.

Results

(i) We found that subjects formed economical grasps in ideal conditions. (ii) To our surprise, this ability was preserved even when visual and tactile feedback were removed. (iii) When we introduced uncertainty into the hand controller performance degraded significantly in the absence of either visual or tactile feedback. Greatest performance was achieved when both sources of feedback were present.

Conclusions

We have introduced a novel method to understand the cognitive processes underlying grasping and lifting. We have shown quantitatively that tactile feedback can significantly improve performance in the presence of feed-forward uncertainty. However, our results indicate that feed-forward and feed-back mechanisms serve complementary roles, suggesting that to improve on the state-of-the-art in prosthetic hands we must develop prostheses that empower users to correct for the inevitable uncertainty in their feed-forward control.