We developed mQUANT software tool that noninvasively monitors the activation patterns of skeletal muscles in surface electromyograms, evaluates the level of muscle coactivation and displays it in the form of real-time intuitive feedback. The software compensates the motor unit action potentials in real time and, thus, removes the impacts of muscle geometry and anatomy from the recorded surface electromyograms. mQUANT supports different number of recording electrodes per muscle, different electrode types and different hardware devices for acquisition of surface electromyograms.
F.08 Development and manufacture of a prototype
COBISS.SI-ID: 21991190The invention relates to the design of a computer apparatus and procedures for the elimination of interference and motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) from single channel or multichannel electromyograms (EMGs). The latter are measured by means of invasive electrodes, inserted into the muscle using a needle, or surface electrodes, which are non-invasively placed on the skin above the skeletal muscle studied. The electrodes are wired or wirelessly connected to the computer or microprocessor, which performs the procedures for the elimination of interference and APME from EMGs and directly evaluates excitation patterns of skeletal muscles. The invention solves the problem of the dependence of EMGs on the anatomy and the geometry of skeletal muscles, on the filtering effect of the tissues between the measuring electrode and muscle fibers, and on the properties of the EMG signal acquisition system. It successfully eliminates these effects and directly evaluates excitation patterns of motor units in the detection volume of the uptake electrodes. This improves the accuracy and computational efficiency of well-established devices and procedures for assessing skeletal muscle activity.
F.33 Slovenian patent
COBISS.SI-ID: 22170390We used a novel method for decomposition of high-density surface electromyograms into contributions of individual motor units and estimated changes of motor unit action potential (MUAP) shapes during dynamic shortening of four different skeletal muscles in healthy young volunteers. Estimated MUAP shapes were organized and stored into common database, supporting systematic analysis of MUAP shape changes caused by muscle geometry. This is a worldwide novelty, as never before has this problem been systematically studied in experimental conditions. The MUAP database is of paramount importance for the analysis of surface electromyograms, recorded during dynamic muscle contractions.
F.15 Development of a new information system/databases
COBISS.SI-ID: 20063254We extended preexisting simulator of high-density surface electromyograms (hdEMG) to dynamic contractions of skeletal muscles. Simulator comprises two main parts. First, dynamic changes of motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) due to muscle shortening are simulated. Second, the increase in depth of simulated motor units (MUs) due to shortening and thickening of muscle fibers is simulated. MU firing patterns are generated with the preexisting simulator and convolved with simulated MUAPs to yield hdEMG. In this way, the hdEMG simulator can be used to generate dynamic hdEMG of arbitrary muscle shortening, thickening and excitation profiles. This simulator is of paramount importance for validation of hdEMG analysis algorithms in dynamic contractions and for interpretation of various experimental observations.
F.07 Improvements to an existing product
COBISS.SI-ID: 20062742We developed a software tool that enables fully automatic decomposition of multi-channel surface electromyograms (EMGs), recorded during dynamic muscular contractions on the contributions of individual motor units. By doing so, it eliminates the negative effects of the motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) from EMG signals and enables direct evaluation of neural codes governing the skeletal muscles from non-invasively recorded EMG signals. The tool can run independently or as a plug-in of the previously developed DEMUSEtool software for decomposition of EMG signals.
F.06 Development of a new product
COBISS.SI-ID: 20063510