A wireless surface electromyography system

Surface electromyography (SEMG) systems are utilized throughout the medical industry to study abnormal electrical activity of the human muscle. Historically, SEMG systems employ surface (skin) mounted sensors that transmit electrical muscle data to a computer base via an umbilical cord. A typical SEMG analysis may exercise multiple sensors, each representing a unique data channel, positioned about the patient´s body. Data transmission cables are linked between the surface mounted sensor nodes and a backpack worn by the patient. As the number of sensors increases, the patient´s freedom of mobility decreases due to the lengthy data cables linked between the surface sensors and the backpack. An N-channel wireless SEMG system has been developed based on the ZigBee wireless standard. The system includes N-channels, each consisting of a wireless ZigBee transmitting modem, an 8-bit microcontroller, a low-pass filter and a pre-amplifier. All channels stream data to a central computer via a wireless receiving modem attached directly to the computer. The data is displayed to the user through graphical development software called LabView. The wireless surface electromyography (WSEMG) system successfully transmits reliable electrical muscle data from the patient to a central computer. The wireless EMG system offers an attractive alternative to traditional wired surface electromyography systems as patient mobility is less compromised.