A new layered sensor for simultaneous measurement of EMG, MMG and oxygen consumption at the same position

A new layered sensor for simultaneous measurement of electromyography (EMG), mechanomyography (MMG) and oxygen consumption based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) at the same position of the muscle is presented. The proposed sensor is a layered structure of a thin stainless-steel electrode, a PVDF film with transparent electrodes and optical sensors. EMG, MMG and oxygen consumption based on NIRS are measured by the stainless-steel electrodes, PVDF film and optical sensors, respectively. Using the three types of data, muscular activity can be analyzed in more detail. Additionally, the proposed sensor system reduces the constraint of the sensors arranged on the skin in measurements at multiple points because three types of information, previously obtained with three types of general sensors, are detected by a pair of proposed sensors. In an experiment, simultaneous measurement of EMG, MMG and oxygen consumption via NIRS at the forearm was demonstrated using the proposed sensor under fluorescent light. The performance of the layered sensor was evaluated.