Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
09:14
Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback as a Rehabilitation Tool for Patients with Global Brachial Plexus Injury Receiving Bionic Reconstruction
Published on: September 28, 2019
An EMG-controlled neuroprosthesis for daily upper limb support: a preliminary study.
Emilia Ambrosini1, Simona Ferrante, Marta Tibiletti
1NeuroEngineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Bioengineering Department of Politecnico di Milano. emilia.ambrosini.@mail.polimi.it
Summary
This study developed an assistive system combining an exoskeleton and neuroprosthesis for upper limb movement support. The system effectively adapted support levels based on user
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Technology
- Assistive Devices
Background:
- Severely impaired individuals often lose upper limb motor function, limiting daily activities.
- Existing assistive technologies may not fully exploit residual user control for long-term use.
- The MUNDUS platform aims to restore interaction capabilities using multimodal inputs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate a passive exoskeleton with an EMG-controlled neuroprosthesis for hand-to-mouth movements.
- To develop a digital filter to separate volitional EMG from neuroprosthesis stimulation artifacts.
- To design a controller that adjusts support based on residual user EMG signals.
Main Methods:
- Developed a digital filter to isolate user's volitional EMG from stimulation.
- Implemented a proportional EMG-based controller for neuroprosthesis stimulation intensity.
- Validated the system with a healthy volunteer performing hand-to-mouth tasks with varying loads.
Main Results:
- The digital filter successfully distinguished volitional EMG from stimulation.
- Controller output (stimulation intensity) increased proportionally with user's volitional EMG.
- System demonstrated feasibility in supporting movements with increased loads.
Conclusions:
- An EMG-controlled neuroprosthesis integrated with an exoskeleton is feasible for upper limb support.
- The developed filter and controller effectively utilized residual motor control.
- This represents a significant step towards the MUNDUS assistive platform.
