Sensing human arm posture with implantable sensors

In order to achieve functionally useful movement, sensory information is required for control of neuromuscular activation. This paper describes implantable sensor modalities to replace normal proprioceptors in feedback control. They can be packaged into miniature, wireless neural stimulators called BIONs™. Sensing techniques and strategies for analyzing and combining various sensor signals are presented. These sensors include a DC accelerometer and RF magnetic sensor. Several sensor system configurations are proposed to accommodate different clinical requirements and real-time measurement of the position and orientation of human arms.