Abstract: 

Muscle sensing technology has significantly advanced our understanding of biomechanics and enhanced the efficacy of bionics. This technology now enables volitional control of bionic devices by mapping the electrical and mechanical activities of muscles as control inputs. This dissertation presents novel paradigms and findings to further improve the utility and efficacy of muscle sensing modalities for advanced bionic applications.

In the first part of the dissertation, I introduce a novel paradigm for expanding the use of surface electromyography (sEMG) in dynamic and neurally-controlled prosthesis and bionic applications. This paradigm includes innovations in electrode materials and design, along with a novel impulse filtering method. It enables effective and economical acquisition of sEMG data from within prosthetic sockets and bionic systems amid dynamic and impulsive load changes.

In the second part, I explore how Magnetomicrometry can serve as a new in-vivo and real-time mechanical muscle state tracking modality. Previous work has shown significant potential for Magnetomicrometry in muscle-state tracking via a tightly-controlled in situ setup. In this work, I demonstrate real-time tracking of muscle tissue length in freely-moving animals performing various motor activities, suggesting that Magnetomicrometry could be extended as a viable in-vivo and real-time muscle sensing modality.

In the final part, I propose a theoretical framework to enhance the magnet tracking technology stack for Magnetomicrometry, leveraging recent advancements in Riemannian geometry. A powerful algebraic tool, now available, precisely represents the true magnetic dipole manifold and bolsters tracking frameworks. I introduce a new paradigm that utilizes this tool to articulate the magnetic dipole manifold within optimization and tracking methods, thereby improving the resolution of the magnet tracking problem.

Committee members: 

Hugh Herr
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
Co-Director, K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics
Associate Investigator, McGovern Institute
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Joe Paradiso
Associate Academic Head
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Thomas Roberts
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Vice Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Brown University