A novel EMG interface for individuals with tetraplegia to pilot robot hand grasping

Wafa Tigra (1, 2) , Benjamin Navarro (3, 4) , Andrea Cherubini (3) , Xavier Gorron (3) , Anthony Gélis (5, 6) , Charles Fattal (7) , David Guiraud (1) , Christine Azevedo Coste (1)

1 CAMIN - Control of Artificial Movement and Intuitive Neuroprosthesis
2 MXM-AXONIC
3 IDH - Interactive Digital Humans
4 PRISME - Laboratoire Pluridisciplinaire de Recherche en Ingénierie des Systèmes, Mécanique et Energétique
5 PROPARA - Centre Mutualiste de Réeducation Neurologique Propara
6 EuroMov - Euromov
7 CRF COS Divio - Centre de Rééducation Fonctionnelle Divio [Dijon]

This article introduces a new human-machine interface for individuals with tetraplegia. We investigated the feasibility of piloting an assistive device by processing supra-lesional muscle responses online. The ability to voluntarily contract a set of selected muscles was assessed in five spinal cord-injured subjects through electromyographic (EMG) analysis. Two subjects were also asked to use the EMG interface to control palmar and lateral grasping of a robot hand. The use of different muscles and control modalities was also assessed. These preliminary results open the way to new interface solutions for high-level spinal cord-injured patients.

Mots clés: Robot hand; EMG; Tetraplegia; Control; Grip function

Domaines: Robotique [cs.RO]; Automatique / Robotique; Biotechnologie; Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]

Wafa Tigra, Benjamin Navarro, Andrea Cherubini, Xavier Gorron, Anthony Gélis, et al.. A novel EMG interface for individuals with tetraplegia to pilot robot hand grasping. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2018, 26 (2), pp.291-298. ⟨10.1109/TNSRE.2016.2609478⟩. ⟨lirmm-01373668⟩