Acquisition of muscle activity with a fully implantable multi-channel measurement system

This work presents intramuscular measurements of the electromyogram (EMG) during goal directed arm movements. Thin film electrode arrays were epimysially implanted on the deltoideus of a rhesus macaque and the encapsulation process was monitored by impedance measurements. Increase of impedance plateaued after four weeks indicating a complete incorporation of electrodes. EMG recorded with these electrodes yielded a signal to noise ratio of about 80 dB at 200 Hz. The EMG recorded during goal directed arm movements showed high similarity amongst movements in the same direction while presenting clear differences between different movement directions. A second implantation of the whole measurement system for nine weeks proved good handling and biotolerance.