Recent technological developments have implemented the use of proportional control in prosthetic hands, giving rise to the importance of appropriate myoelectric control. EMG models in the past have assumed a linear proportionality to simplify the EMG-force relationships. However, it has been shown that a non-linear EMG-force relationship may be a more effective model. This study focused on evaluating three different control algorithms for a novel myoelectric training device, consisting of a toy car controlled by EMG signals from the distal muscles in the arm. Sixteen healthy adult subjects (5 male and 11 female) with an average age of 23.6 years (SD = 2.7) were asked to drive the car through a slalom course. Completion times as well as number of errors (wall hits, cone hits, and reversals) were recorded to evaluate performance. The NASA TLX was administered to evaluate psychometrics such as mental demand, physical demand, frustration, and overall workload. The average total errors per trial on the final day of testing using the linear proportional algorithm was found to be statistically significantly (p < 0.05) lower than digital and non-linear proportional. The average course completion time per trial and overall workload using the non-linear proportional algorithm was found to be statistically significantly (p < 0.05) lower than digital and linear proportional. These results suggest that a non-linear algorithm would be most appropriate for myoelectric control in prosthetic hands.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-5103 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Creators | Arenas, Joshua A |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | © The Author |
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