A heuristic fuzzy logic approach to EMG pattern recognition for multifunctional prosthesis control

This paper presents a heuristic fuzzy logic approach to multiple electromyogram (EMG) pattern recognition for multifunctional prosthesis control. Basic signal statistics (mean and standard deviation) are used for membership function construction, and fuzzy c-means (FCMs) data clustering is used to automate the construction of a simple amplitude-driven inference rule base. The result is a system that is transparent to, and easily "tweaked" by, the prosthetist/clinician. Other algorithms in current literature assume a longer period of unperceivable delay, while the system we present has an update rate of 45.7 ms with little postprocessing time, making it suitable for real-time application. Five subjects were investigated (three with intact limbs, one with a unilateral transradial amputation, and one with a unilateral transradial limb-deficiency from birth). Four subjects were used for system offline analysis, and the remaining intact-limbed subject was used for system real-time analysis. We discriminated between four EMG patterns for subjects with intact limbs, and between three patterns for limb-deficient subjects. Overall classification rates ranged from 94% to 99%. The fuzzy algorithm also demonstrated success in real-time classification, both during steady state motions and motion state transitioning. This functionality allows for seamless control of multiple degrees-of-freedom in a multifunctional prosthesis.