Capture and analysis of biomechanical signals with inertial and magnetic sensors as support in physical rehabilitation processes

Abstract

A tool used to capture biomechanical signals from the upper limb is presented here. The methods used for data acquisition, signal fusion and joint amplitude measurements, elbow flexion/extension and pronation/supination, are also presented. To that aim, a device using two inertial and magnetic sensors fixed to the arm and the forearm body segments was implemented. These sensors are wired to a control unit, which process them and sends the information to a display device through a wireless communication protocol. This process can be done in real time, or the results can be stored and managed later. This device was applied to an industrial robot arm, and the results were compared to the actual rotation values. Experiments showed a RMSE of 2.19° in flexion/extension and of 2.75° in pronation/supination. As a conclusion, it can be claimed that the system has an acceptable level of precision to be used as a support tool in rehabilitation processes of people with slight motor damages.