Same-Electrode Stimulation and Recording With Dynamic Hardware Artefact Suppression

摘要

This paper presents a design for same-electrode stimulation and recording of skeletal muscle, intended for assist-as-need movement augmentation for post-stroke hand rehabilitation. The system consists of a stimulation unit, recording device, and hardware for artefact minimisation. Hardware-controlled artefact suppression is a considerable advantage as the device adapts to the dynamic nature of the stimulation elicited artefacts; consequentially, suitable artefact rejection is obtained without removal of the desired signal. Frequency-domain high-pass, low-pass, and comb-filters are used to remove any residual contamination. The device has demonstrated effective suppression of artefacts: the spectral shape and magnitude of the filtered signal closely match an artefact-free electromyographic spectra. Future developments will build on real-time data processing/control, multi-channel operation, and autonomous tuning of artefact removal switching thresholds.