Customizable, reconfigurable, and anatomically coordinated large-area, high-density electromyography from...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Accurate patient-specific electromyographic (EMG) mapping is vital but challenging due to fixed multielectrode array (MEA) designs that fail to match individual muscle anatomy.
• This anatomical mismatch causes signal inaccuracies, redundant data, and difficulties in electrode placement and classification algorithms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce customizable and reconfigurable "drawn-on-skin" (DoS) MEAs for high-density EMG mapping.
• To demonstrate in situ fabrication of tunable electrode configurations that adapt to subject-specific muscle anatomy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of customizable and reconfigurable DoS MEAs directly on the skin.
• Evaluation of electrical properties and performance under skin deformation and motion.
• Application in localizing innervation zones (IZs), detecting motor unit propagation, and controlling prosthetic devices.

Main Results:

• DoS MEAs exhibit uniform electrical properties and robust skin-electrode interfaces, enabling high-fidelity EMG mapping during movement.
• Successful localization of IZs and detection of muscle activity without missed information by reconfiguring electrode arrangements.
• Customized DoS MEAs provide highly informative data, leading to accurate finger gesture detection and prosthetic control.

Conclusions:

• DoS MEAs represent the first demonstration of high-density EMG mapping with adaptable, in situ-fabricated electrodes.
• This technology overcomes the anatomical mismatch limitations of conventional MEAs, enhancing EMG signal quality and application accuracy.
• Customizable DoS MEAs offer a significant advancement for applications requiring precise muscle activity monitoring and control, including prosthetics.