3.

ELECTROMYOGRAPHY

Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity

produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph, to

produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electrical potential

generated by muscle cells when these cells are electrically or neurologically activated. The signals can

be analyzed to detect medical abnormalities, activation level, recruitment order or to analyze the

biomechanics of human or animal movement. The Silent Sound Technology uses electromyography,

monitoring tiny muscularmovements that occur when we speak.

Monitored signals are converted into electrical pulses that can then be turned into speech, without

a sound uttered. Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical

activity produced by skeletal muscles. An electromyography detects the electrical potential generated

3.1 Electromyography insertion

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 4.HISTORY

The first documented experiments dealing with EMG started with Francesco Redi’sworks
in 1666. Redi discovered a highly specialized muscle of the electric ray fish (Electric Eel)
generated electricity. By 1773, Walsh had been able to demonstrate that the Eel fish’s muscle
tissue could generate a spark of electricity. In 1792, a publication entitled De
ViribusElectricitatis in Motu Musculari Commentarius appeared, written by Luigi Galvani,in
which the author demonstrated that electricity could initiate muscle contractions. Six decades
later, in 1849, Dubois-Raymond discovered that it was also possible to record electrical activity
during a voluntary muscle contraction.

The first actual recording of this activity was made by Marey in 1890, who also introduced
the term electromyography. In 1922, Gasser and Erlanger used an oscilloscope to show the
electrical signals from muscles. Because of the stochastic nature of the myoelectric signal, only
rough information could be obtained from its observation. The capability of detecting
electromyographic signals improved steadily from the 1930s through the 1950s, and researchers
began to use improved electrodes more widely for the study of muscles.
Clinical use of surface EMG (sEMG) for the treatment of more specific disorders began
in the1960s. Hardyck and his researchers were the first (1966) practitioners to use sEMG. In the
early 1980s, Cram and Steger introduced a clinical method for scanning a variety of muscles
using an EMG sensing device.
It is not until the middle of the 1980s that integration techniques in electrodes had
sufficiently advanced to allow batch production of the required small and lightweight
instrumentation and amplifiers. At present, a number of suitable amplifiers are commercially
available. In the early 1980s, cables that produced signals in the desired microvolt range became
available.

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 5.PROCEDURE

There are two kinds of EMG in widespread use: surface EMG and intramuscular (needle
and fine-wire) EMG. To perform intramuscular EMG, a needle electrode or a needle containing
two fine-wire electrodes is inserted through the skin into the muscle tissue. A trained
professional (such as a neurologist, physiatrist, or physical therapist) observes the electrical
activity while inserting the electrode. The insertional activity provides valuable information
about the state of the muscle and its inervative nerve.

Abnormal spontaneous activity might indicate some nerve and/or muscle damage Then the
patient is asked to contract the muscle smoothly. The shape, size, and frequency of the resulting
motor unit potentials are judged. Then the electrode is retracted a few millimeters, and again the
activity is analyzed until at least 10–20 units have been collected.

Each electrode track gives only a very local picture of the activity of the whole muscle
Because skeletal muscles differ in the inner structure, the electrode has to be placed at various
locations to obtain an accurate study.

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 6.APPLICATIONS OF EMG

EMG signals are used in many clinical and biomedical applications. EMG is used asa
diagnostics tool for identifying neuromuscular diseases, assessing low-back pain, kinesiology,
and disorders of motor control. EMG signals are also used as a control signal for prosthetic
devices such as prosthetic hands, arms, and lower limbs.
EMG can be used to sense isometric muscular activity where no movement is produced.
This enables definition of a class of subtle motionless gestures to control interfaces without being
noticed and without disrupting the surrounding environment. These signals can be used to control
a prosthesis or as a control signal for an electronic device such as a mobile phone or PDA.

EMG signals have been targeted as control for flight systems. The Human Senses Group
at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA seeks to advance man-machine
interfaces by directly connecting a person to a computer.

In this project, an EMG signal is used to substitute for mechanical joysticks and
keyboards. EMG has also been used in research towards a "wearable cockpit," which employs
EMG-based gestures to manipulate switches and control sticks necessary for flight in conjunction
with a goggle-based display.

Unvoiced speech recognition recognizes speech by observing the EMG activity of

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