Preliminary design of a new device to measure muscle function

A description and early results are presented for a novel device to estimate the torque-angle and torque-angular velocity properties of the quadriceps muscle group using electrical stimulation. The device straps to the shin and is moved by the operator while pulses of stimulation are applied to the motor point of the quadriceps. During stimulation, the operator raises and lowers the leg to the desired angle, and also can oscillate the leg to generate a rich velocity profile. The resulting muscle force is measured by a load cell contained in the device. In a preliminary study using 11 healthy subjects, normalized torque-angle and torque-velocity data for the quadriceps were consistent with literature results that used maximum voluntary contraction methods.