Development of a motion support system by using an electromyogram - signal processing of an electromyogram to estimate the biomechanical characteristics of joints

A motion support system is very important for improving the quality of life for the people who have inadequate muscle power for walking or standing. One of the most important aspects of the development of such systems is how to keep coordination between the movement of the living body and that of the motion support system with respect to timing and power. In this study, we tried to develop an algorithm that would be capable of solving this problem by measuring the torque and the viscosity of the movements of the living body from a surface electromyogram (EMG), and varying the torque and viscosity of the support system in proportion to those of the living body. The results demonstrated that the torque of the joint of the living body coincided very well with the estimated value calculated from integrated surface EMG and it was possible to support the subject´s motion such that he could perform smooth motions while exerting with a small amount of power.