The control of a prosthetic arm by EMG pattern recognition

An electromyographic (EMG) signal pattern recognition system is constructed for real-time control of a prosthetic arm through precise identification of motion and speed command. A probabilistic model of the EMG patterns is first formulated in the feature space of integral absolute value (IAV) to describe the relation between a command, represented by motion and speed variables, and location and shape of the corresponding pattern. The model provides the sample probability density function of pattern classes in the decision space of variance and zero crossings based on the relations between IAV, variance, and zero crossings established in this paper. Pattern classification is carried out through a multiclass sequential decision procedure designed with an emphasis on computational simplicity. The upper bound of probability of error and the average number of sample observations are investigated. Speed and motion predictions are used in conjunction with the decision procedure to enhance decision speed and reliability. A decomposition rule is formulated for the direct assignment of speed to each primitive motion involved in a combined motion. A learning procedure is also designed for the decision processor to adapt long-term pattern variation. Experimental results are discussed in the Appendix.