Monitoring of the muscle effort in wheelchair users using FBG-based sensors

Matilde Rocha; Cátia Tavares; Ana Catarina Nepomuceno; Paulo Antunes; M. Fátima Domingues; Nélia J. Alberto

doi:10.1117/12.2621254

17 May 2022 Monitoring of the muscle effort in wheelchair users using FBG-based sensors

Matilde Rocha, Cátia Tavares, Ana Catarina Nepomuceno, Paulo Antunes, M. Fátima Domingues, Nélia J. Alberto

Proceedings Volume 12139, Optical Sensing and Detection VII; 1213912 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2621254
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2022, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

A fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) based system, constituted by six sensors, for wheelchair users muscle effort monitoring was proposed. Each sensor consists in one FBG embedded in epoxy resin, which was secured to Kinesio tape through a 3D printed connection system. After the approval of the Ethics and Deontology Committee and the Data Protection Officer of the University of Aveiro (Portugal), the sensors were implemented to evaluate wheelchair users muscle effort. The sensors were placed on the biceps, deltoids, and triceps (three sensors in each arm) of four wheelchairs users’ volunteers, which were asked to perform several exercises. The arms’ muscle effort required was estimated through the FBGs wavelength shift, which was related with the deformation of the epoxy resin during some of the wheelchair users’ daily movements: varying the typical used hand patterns on horizontal plane (pattern A, B and D); vertical and inclined dips; and going up and down a ramp. The results reveal that on the horizontal plane, the movement characterized by minor hand swings in relation to the wheelchair rim (pattern A), requires a smaller muscle effort, and the dips were the exercise requested to wheelchair users which demand the highest and most sudden muscle effort applied in the arms. The proposed system may be used to monitor and quantify the muscle effort related to any movement, aiding on the choice of techniques to promote the reduction of the muscle fatigue, and therefore contributing to the improvement of wheelchair user quality of life.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Matilde Rocha, Cátia Tavares, Ana Catarina Nepomuceno, Paulo Antunes, M. Fátima Domingues, and Nélia J. Alberto "Monitoring of the muscle effort in wheelchair users using FBG-based sensors", Proc. SPIE 12139, Optical Sensing and Detection VII, 1213912 (17 May 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2621254

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available