Fabric Vest Socket with Embroidered Electrodes for Control of Myoelectric Prosthesis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Prosthetics and Orthotics

Background:

• Myoelectric prostheses are crucial for daily living but are often limited to forearm amputees.
• Control of these devices relies on surface electromyography (sEMG) signals from the residual limb.
• High-level upper limb amputees, particularly those with shoulder disarticulation, face challenges in utilizing current myoelectric technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel fabric vest socket with integrated embroidered electrodes for high-level upper limb amputees.
• To assess the performance of embroidered electrodes compared to commercial electrodes for sEMG signal acquisition.
• To determine the usability and accuracy of the fabric vest socket for controlling myoelectric prostheses.

Main Methods:

• A fabric vest socket with rigid support and embroidered electrodes was designed and fabricated.
• sEMG signals were acquired using both embroidered and commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes for comparative analysis.
• Key performance metrics including signal amplitude, skin-electrode impedance, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were evaluated.
• Posture classification experiments were conducted with able-bodied subjects to assess the vest socket's usability.

Main Results:

• Embroidered electrodes demonstrated comparable effectiveness to commercial electrodes in sEMG signal acquisition.
• The developed fabric vest socket achieved high accuracy in posture classification, with an average of 97.92% for individual subjects and 93.2% overall.
• The system proved capable of measuring sEMG signals with high fidelity.

Conclusions:

• The novel fabric vest socket with embroidered electrodes is a practical and effective solution for high-level upper limb amputees.
• This technology enables accurate sEMG signal acquisition for myoelectric prosthesis control in challenging amputation levels.
• The proposed design offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional sockets, potentially increasing accessibility to advanced prosthetic solutions.