Development of a low-cost sEMG Acquisition and processing platform

The acquisition of surface electromyographic signal (sEMG) commonly requires the use of expensive devices or closed systems. In addition, a separate processing protocol is necessary in order to analyze the signal obtained, this requires time consuming techniques, and the results are not always accurate and easy to understand. Therefore, this platform aims to provide an integrated hardware and software system for the acquisition and processing of electromyography signals, automating most of the sEMG signal processing, yet providing its main features (i.e, activation intervals, maximum and average amplitude). The device sends the data to the program that implements different techniques used in sEMG analysis, such as filtering, spectral analysis and moving envelope while allowing different methods to be compared depending on the case. Tests were performed for different sEMG signals with different muscle targets, and movements. All the signals were easy to capture and the algorithm was able to identify muscle activation intervals, filter out most of the noise, and deliver its key indicators in a graphical interface.