WEEK 13

On week 13, I worked on the proposal and the progress report which need to be submit on week 14.

This is the conclusion and the references that I include in my proposal.

CONCLUSION

            The research will be a development of EMG system that taking muscle waves during rest time.New techniques is been applied instead of other technique that is already appear. The proposed techniques will be useful to the person who has muscle problems. It is portable, flexible and painless to use by all kinds of user.

REFERENCES

1.      [1]P. Bifulco, M. Cesarelli, A. Fratini, M. Ruffo, G. Pasquariello, Gaetano Gargiulo. “A wearable device for recording of biopotentials and body movements”. University of Naples, Italy.

2.      H.A.John, Sensors [ISSN 1424-8220].RetrievedApril 7, 2012.

3.      Zhang L, Nolan E, Kreitschitz S, Rabussay    DP,Enhanced delivery of naked DNA to the skin by non-invasive in vivo electroporation, 12204326 .Retrieved April 7,2012.

    

    While this is the progress report.

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1  Introduction of chapter

This chapter reveal about what is Electromyograph (EMG).Muscle is the contractile tissue. The function of muscle is to produce force and cause motion. Muscle can be classified into three which are skeletal, cardiac or smooth muscles. There are two broad types of voluntary muscle fibers which are slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers contract for long periods of time but with little force while fast twitch fibers contract quickly and powerfully but fatigue very rapidly.

Muscle contraction will produce waves. As to measure the wave of muscle there is an instrument that called Electromyograph (EMG) used. Electromyograph (EMG) is and instrument used to record the electrical activity of the muscles when these cells contract and also when these cell are at rest. A typical EMG signals range from 0.1 to 0.5mV and they may contain frequency components extending up to 10 kHz. EMG usually recorded by using surface electrode that is total non-invasive or often needle electrode which is invasive inserted directly into the muscle. The surface electrodes may be disposable, adhesive types or the ones which can be used repeatedly. There are only four parts of body that EMG can be applied on which includes arms, legs, trunk and back.

Besides recording the muscle waves, EMG also used for nerve conduction studies. EMG have several purposes that includes done to aid in diagnosing the source of pain, or weakness in the muscles and nerves, differentiates between true muscle weakness and limitation due to pain, determine if muscles are working properly or not and distinguish between muscle and nerve disorders. EMG will take 30 to 60 minutes depending on the number of muscles examined. The test will not give adverse effects to the patient’s body but if invasive electrodes are used it may cause painful or extremely painful to the patient.

As to avoid any painful to patient and make it as a portable EMG recording system, this product should be a painless (non-invasive electrode used) and portable (wireless and flexible) to be attached at patient’s body during their rest time.

 1.2  Project Background

Portable EMG recording system during sleeping is a product that sense muscle waves directly from patient’s body. This product will save all the data or the waves that it sensed into the recording system so that it can be send to the medical advisor to diagnose patient muscle problems.

This portable EMG recording system during sleeping is an easy method for patient to take their muscle waves instead of being warded for a few days to diagnose their muscle problems. The portable EMG recording system during sleeping is also a product that comfort to be wear during sleeping, flexible and painless compared to any other method in taking muscle waves.

Portable EMG recording system during sleeping is wireless. It use bluetooth method to transfer the data or muscle waves from the sensor to the recording system. That is also a reason why it is flexible compared to the electrode that totally connected to the monitor system.

Instead of flexible, it is also painless. This is because the type of electrode that implemented in this product is a surface non-invasive electrode. It is an electrode that only been applied onto the surface of skin, it not required any insertion of needles into the muscle like the invasive electrode type.

1.3  Project Statement

Muscle problems such as cramping, weakness in the muscles and nerves and muscle disorders are all disease that we cannot figure clearly but it can effect our routine activities. Muscle problem also may lead to many other diseases such as carpal tunnel syndrome that is totally give bad effects to our body as it is may not allow us to move smoothly. As to avoid the muscle diseases, we have to take precaution and be alert to any muscle fatigue.

Nowadays, people are so busy with their daily routine and have not enough time to go to the hospital to make a check up. Therefore, this portable EMG recording system will help people a lot in recording all their muscle waves before it will be diagnose by the medical advisor. This can save the patient’s time instead of been warded for a few days just to take their muscle waves.

1.4  Objectives

This portable EMG recording system during sleeping is produced for a few objectives:

1.      To aid in diagnosing the source of pain, cramping, or weakness in the muscles and nerves.

2.      To differentiates between true muscle weakness and limitations due to pain.

3.      To determine if muscles are working properly or not.

4.      To distinguish between muscle and nerve disorders.

1.5  Scope / Limitation of the project

1.5.1        Scope

This portable EMG recording system during sleeping produced to help people taking their muscle waves during their rest time at home. It can help people to save their time from being warded to monitor and diagnose their muscle problem.

1.6  Summary of Chapter

 

Basically this chapter reveals the introduction to the project that is going to be applied for the whole semester. It is also explained basically what is Portable EMG recording system during sleeping is all about. This project is created to apply the knowledge of the medical electronics subject that has been taken and to challenge oneself in doing it. It is a tough project to do and it is to help people detect their muscle problems.

2.0  LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1  History

2.1.1        Previous work

The previous invention that related to this portable EMG recording system during sleeping was done by combination of students between University of Naples, Italy and University of Sydney, Australia. They are P. Bifulco, M. Ceraselli, A. Fratini, M. Ruffo and G. Pasquariello from department of Biomedical Electronics and TLC Engineering of University of Naples, Italy while Gaetano Gargiulo rom School of Electrical and Information Engineering of University of Sydney, Australia.

            They have worked in inventing “A wearable device for recording of bio potentials and body movements” as a garment that been applied to subject’s body and sense many types of bio potential signals during subject in active mode. The garment are attached with biomedical sensors and also MEMS accelorator to determine or detect all bio signal that comes from the subject body. They are working to monitor all types of bio signals that includes ECG, EEG and also EMG.

The MEMS accelorator in the garment is used to sense and record the Electromyograph signal from the subject’s muscle.

2.1.2        Present work

The present work is closed related to the previous work but the application is totally different. This portable EMG recording system during sleeping is only focused on the Electromyograph (EMG). It will attached as a nightwear to the certain part of patient’s body and that includes arms, legs, trunk and back.

           

            This portable EMG recording system during sleeping will be using the fabric non-invasive electrodes as sensors to the muscle waves. This project is a wearable, flexible, comfortable and painless due to many aspects that been considered. It only need to be wear at night and the signal of muscles will be taken during patient’s rest time. The signal will be recorded into the recording system by using bluetooth. All the recorded signals will be processing in a software called Portilab 2 and will be monitor by the patient’s medical advisor to diagnosing any symptoms of muscle problems.

            This project helps patient’s to take their muscle waves by their own and this will save their time from being warded in the hospital just to take their muscle waves.

2.2 Review of history

The function of the history is to identify the project whether it has been invented those days or not. It is to acknowledge that once upon a time, there are people who already came up with an idea of the wearable EMG recording system. It is not necessarily to let the patient being painful by the muscle needle insertion and full of wired electrodes. Sometimes it can lead to massive side effect. Inventors those days discover that there are some other methods that can be implemented. That is the function why review in history is needed. It is to make sure that the project to be implemented is develop by the technologies that can avoid any painful and tendernessto the muscles.

2.3  Summary

There are reasons why literature review is needed in the project. It is to make further research and to make sure that the project that is in progress is not the same as the previous project. In the other word, it should be a development of any invention not producing the totally same function product. It is to either modify the existing project or to come up with the new idea. It is important to do research in order to get to know on what is all about this project.

3.0  METHODOLOGY

3.1  Introduction

The electrodes stability over time is crucial. Innovative design has invent an electrode that is fully fabric that totally flexible with the movement of the body. This is an invention that is significantly improve the daily usability. A light and tiny electrodes have to be employed as it have to embedded in clothes.  The electrode must required low power as it is portable, sensitive to picking up the waves from the muscles and the maximum current of the electrode must 0.5mA. The current should not more than 0.5mA because if it exceeding more than 0.5mA it can hurt the patient’s body and this is one of the aspect that need to be avoid as the aim is to provide a device that is painless.

Microcontroller also applied in this project as it is recording all the picked up waves. The microcontroller must perform channel multiplexing, analog to digital conversion, data packet and transmission stack protocol formation and can also drive RF circuitry. 

3.2 Block Diagram

3.2.1       Explaination

The raw signal of muscle will be detect by the electrodes. The signal will enter the pre-amplifier, amplifier and filter stage. At this stage the  raw signal will be amplify enoughly and been filter. The next stage is analog to digital conversion (ADC). The analog signal from the amplifier stage will be convert into digital form, sampling method will occur in this stage. The ADC stage is the first thing that deal in the microprocessor. The second last stage is where the signal being process in the software. The software that been used in this project is Portilab2. It is quite similar with Labview software. Last stage is to monitor the waves of the muscle at the laptop screen.

Hardware and Development

Resistors : 220Ω, 10kΩ, 91kΩ, 390kΩ.

Capacitors : 10pF, 22pF, 100nF , 150nF.

OPAMP : OPA2604AP, INA2125.

Switch.

Battery 9V.

This project is invent to make people lifestyle convenience. This project will make people easier to take their muscle waves during their rest time. They do not need to go to the hospital and spent a lot of their time at the hospital just to take their muscle waves. This project of portable EMG recording system during sleeping is applicable in few things such as useful in medical research, rehabilitation, ergonomics and sport science.

Software Development

Software that used in measuring the EMG signal is Portilab2 software. Instead of that, Multisim is also used to simulate the circuit wiring before it is applied to the Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

Summary

This chapter summarize the methodology needed in completing this project. Works that has been done in order to see whether the circuit is working or not is by simulating the circuit with any software available such as Multisim. Apart of that, once the circuit is proven working, then further action can be taken by buying components and construct the circuit.