Comparison Studies on Hand Grip Measurement Techniques using FBG Sensor and sEMG

An important factor for research in understanding the hand arm system is quantifying the hand grip strength (HGS). HGS is the prognosticator of various biochemical conditions like muscle strength, upper-limb strength, neuromuscular function, bone mass density etc., this paper highlights the demonstration of Fiber Bragg Grating Hand Grip Device (FBGHGD) and Electromyogram (EMG) for measuring the hand grip strength. The FBGHGD is useful in evaluating the muscle activity. It is calibrated using compression testing machine, which shows the relationship between the forces exerted on FBG based HGD and shift in Bragg wavelength. FBGHGD shows 184.067 pm shift in wavelength for a maximum applied weight. The demonstration shows the FBGHGD is more accurate and provides a real time data which is useful in accessing several vital parameters like grip force, muscle fatigue, stamina index etc., which in turn serves as a reference in understanding the functional capabilities of skeletal muscle.