A personal computer-based system for real-time analysis of surface EMG signals during static and dynamic contractions

This paper describes a prototype system that uses an advanced data acquisition processor in combination with a personal computer (PC) to analyse surface electromyogram (EMG) signals on-line and in real-time. The system is able to calculate the average power and estimate the mean frequency of the power spectrum of surface EMGs during static and repeated isokinetic contractions with a high degree of standardization. Selection of parameters as well as implementation of future parameters is easy to perform, since the system is software-based. The system has been tested both with known (sine waves, filtered white noise) and physiological (surface EMG) signals. The system gave the expected results in different test situations.