2020-856 A Surface Electromyography (sEMG) System on a Flexible and Biocompatible Platform

SUMMARY:

Researchers in the UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineering Department have developed a high-resolution surface electromyography (sEMG) system which is flexible, lightweight and capable of both wireless data transmission and charging for enhanced usability of the system.

BACKGROUND:

Continuous muscle monitoring is a widely utilized technology for monitoring rehabilitation following injury, surgery and congenital disease diagnosis. Standard surface electromyography (sEMG) is a monitoring system that can continuously record muscle physiology through electrodes placed on the surface of the skin. However, conventional sEMG systems transmit signals through wired connections which can be cumbersome to handle, non-portable and might cause signal artifacts due to movement of cables linking sensors. Therefore, a wireless, multi-channel system is required to enhance the usability and widespread application of sEMG monitoring.

INNOVATION:

UCLA researchers have developed a fully-integrated wireless surface electromyography (sEMG) system on a flexible, biocompatible substrate called Flextrate™. The apparatus has reliable performance under repeated flexing of >3,000 times and can be folded to decrease its area by ~50%. Additionally, FlexTrate™ is capable of not only wireless signal transmission but also wireless charging. The advanced electrode architecture provides a sEMG measurement with high spatial resolution, comparable to traditional Ag/AgCl electrodes. Importantly, the system is minimally invasiveness with a small size (65 x 40 x 1 mm) and light weight (5 g), making the sEMG widely available for point-of-use application. Overall, the reduction in system components and assembly eliminates the need to for patient hospitalization, augmenting the scope and capabilities of sEMG monitoring.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:

• Wearable or implantable electronics
• Patient monitoring system
• Muscle-related disease diagnosis

ADVANTAGES:

• Fast response time (< 1 microsecond)
• Portable and in small size (65 * 40 * 1 mm)
• Super light (5 g)
• Can be folded to reduce system area by 50%
• Can be bent >3,000 times without loss of functioning
• Completely wireless operation and charging

RELATED PUBLICATIONS:

• A. Alam et al., “A High Spatial Resolution Surface Electromyography (sEMG) System Using Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging,” IEEE 70th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), May 26-29, 2020, Vista, FL.
   
• A. Alam et al., "Flexible heterogeneously integrated low form factor wireless multi-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) device," 2021 IEEE 71st Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), 2021, pp. 1544-1549, doi: 10.1109/ECTC32696.2021.00245. 

DEVELOPMENT TO DATE:

The device has been assembled and successfully demonstrated.