Detection of Muscle Fatigue Using Variable Bit Flow Modulation and Cross Correlation of Electromyographic Signals

Abstract

The surface electromyography (sEMG) analysis can provide information on muscle fatigue status by estimation of muscle fibre conduction velocity (MFCV), a measure of the travelling speed of motor unit action potentials in muscle tissue. This paper proposes a technique for MFCV estimation using cross-correlation methods and variable bitstream modulation. The technique displays an estimate based on a set of data generated by the gain variation modulation, providing an average estimate of the MFCV. The observed trend of MFCV decrease correlates with the fatigue state of the observed muscle. Finally, the values found were compared with information from the literature, validating the method and showing the advantages of using variable modulation.