Automatic Circumference Measurement for Aiding in the Estimation of Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC) in EMG Systems

Maximum Voluntary Contraction(MVC) is frequently used in human machine muscle interfaces, especially the ones using Electromyography(EMG) and Acousticmyography(AMG). In some cases MVC alone is enough to adapt a system from one user to another, which could potentially create a simple system that any user could instantly use with minimal training and calibration. This research work evaluates the usefulness of automating circumference measurement for estimating MVC thereby reducing the need for training and calibration. A preliminary implementation of a circumference measuring armband is presented to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this technology. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.