Measurement System for Surface Electromyogram and Handgrip Force Based on LabVIEW

Abstract

To investigate the relationship between handgrip level and characteristics of surface electromyogram (sEMG) signal from forearm muscles, a measurement system for sEMG and handgrip force based on LabVIEW was developed. Seven healthy participants performed handgrip maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs), 80% MVC, 60% MVC, 40% MVC and 20%MVC three times at each force level with left hand and right hand in turn. sEMG signal and handgrip force were detected and recorded simultaneously with EMG-Force am-plifier and LabVIEW. Power spectrum of the EMG during handgrip was analyzed in each of the force level. There exists positive correlation between handgrip level and the power of sEMG, the stronger handgrip the greater sEMG characteris-tics for every participant with both hands. The left hand MVC is significantly lower than the right hand for the right-handed participants. The results suggest that sEMG can be used to predict grip force non-invasively for measuring motor function and assessing the motor function rehabilitation.