The use of surface electromyography (sEMG) is rapidly spreading, from robotic prostheses and muscle computer interfaces to rehabilitation devices controlled by residual muscular activities. In this context, sEMG-based gesture recognition plays an enabling role in controlling prosthetics and devices in real-life settings. Our work aimed at developing a low-cost, print-and-play platform to acquire and analyse sEMG signals that can be arranged in a fully customized way, depending on the application and the users' needs. We produced 8-channel sEMG matrices to measure the muscular activity of the forearm using innovative nanoparticle-based inks to print the sensors embedded into each matrix using a commercial inkjet printer. Then, we acquired the multi-channel sEMG data from 12 participants while repeatedly performing twelve standard finger movements (six extensions and six flexions). Our results showed that inkjet printing-based sEMG signals ensured significant similarity values across repetitions in every participant, a large enough difference between movements (dissimilarity index above 0.2), and an overall classification accuracy of 93-95% for flexion and extension, respectively.
© 2021. The Author(s).