by A team of researchers has developed a groundbreaking electromyography (EMG) sensor technology that can provide long-term stable control of wearable robots, unaffected by the wearer’s sweat and dead skin. Wearable robots are increasingly used in various rehabilitation treatments for the elderly and patients recovering from stroke or trauma.
The joint research team, led by Professor Jae-Woong Jung from the KAIST School of Electrical Engineering (EE) and Professor Jung Kim from the KAIST Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME), successfully created a stretchable and adhesive microneedle sensor. This sensor can accurately sense physiological signals at a high level without being influenced by the state of the user’s skin.
The research findings, authored by Heesoo Kim and Juhyun Lee, both Ph.D. candidates at the KAIST School of EE, were published in Science Advances under the title “Skin-preparation-free, stretchable microneedle adhesive patches for reliable electrophysiological sensing and exoskeleton robot control.”
To enable wearable robots to understand the user’s movement intentions for effective rehabilitation treatment, a wearable electrophysiological sensor that provides precise EMG measurements is required. However, existing sensors often experience signal deterioration over time and are highly influenced by the user’s skin conditions. Additionally, the rigid nature of these sensors generates noise as the contact surface cannot conform to the skin’s deformations. These limitations hinder the reliable long-term control of wearable robots.
The newly developed technology overcomes these challenges and allows for long-term and high-quality EMG measurements by utilizing a stretchable and adhesive conducting substrate integrated with microneedle arrays that can penetrate the stratum corneum without causing discomfort.
With its exceptional performance, the sensor is expected to enable stable control of wearable robots over extended periods, regardless of changes in the wearer’s skin conditions. It eliminates the need for preparatory steps that remove sweat and dead skin cells from the skin surface. The research team achieved this by creating a stretchable and adhesive microneedle sensor that integrates microneedles into a soft silicon polymer substrate. These flexible microneedles penetrate the stratum corneum, the skin’s outer layer, which has high electrical resistance.
The sensor effectively reduces contact resistance with the skin, ensuring high-quality electrophysiological signals even in the presence of contamination. Additionally, the soft and adhesive conducting substrate conforms to the skin’s surface and stretches with the wearer’s movement, providing a comfortable fit and minimizing noise caused by motion.
To validate the usability of the new patch, the research team conducted a motion assistance experiment using a wearable robot. They attached the microneedle patch to a user’s leg, enabling it to detect the electrical signals generated by the muscles. The sensor then transmitted the detected intention to the wearable robot, allowing it to assist the wearer in lifting a heavy object with ease.
Professor Jae-Woong Jung, the research team leader, expressed excitement about the potential of the developed stretchable and adhesive microneedle sensor. He stated that it can reliably detect EMG signals without being influenced by the user’s skin. This advancement will enable the precise and stable control of wearable robots, significantly benefiting patients who rely on these devices for rehabilitation purposes.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
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