On the development of a biomechatronic system to record tendon sliding movements

The main goal of this paper is to study the feasibility of a novel implantable micro-system able to record information about tendon sliding movements by using contactless measurement devices (magnetic sources and sensors). The system, named "Biomechatronic Position Transducer" (BPT), can be used for the implementation of advanced control strategies in neuroprostheses. After a preliminary analysis based on finite element model simulations, an experimental setup was developed in order to simulate the recording conditions (the sensors fixed to the bones and the magnetic sources placed on the tendons). In order to limit the number of implanted components of the system, a fuzzy Mamdani-like architecture was developed to extract the information from the raw data. The results confirm the possibility of using the presented approach for developing an implantable micro-sensor able to extract kinematic information useful for the control of neuroprostheses. Future works will go in the direction of integrating and testing the sensors and the electronic circuitry (to provide power supply and to record the data) during in vitro and in situ experiments.