title: Effects of muscle fatigue on the usability of a myoelectric human-computer interface.
abstract: Electromyography-based human-computer interface development is an active field of research. However, knowledge on the effects of muscle fatigue for specific devices is limited. We have developed a novel myoelectric human-computer interface in which subjects continuously navigate a cursor to targets by manipulating a single surface electromyography (sEMG) signal. Two-dimensional control is achieved through simultaneous adjustments of power in two frequency bands through a series of dynamic low-level muscle contractions. Here, we investigate the potential effects of muscle fatigue during the use of our interface. In the first session, eight subjects completed 300 cursor-to-target trials without breaks; four using a wrist muscle and four using a head muscle. The wrist subjects returned for a second session in which a static fatiguing exercise took place at regular intervals in-between cursor-to-target trials. In the first session we observed no declines in performance as a function of use, even after the long period of use. In the second session, we observed clear changes in cursor trajectories, paired with a target-specific decrease in hit rates.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Davis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barszap
authors.affiliation: University of California, Davis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
authors.forename: Ida-Maria
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Skavhaug
authors.affiliation: University of California, Davis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States. Electronic address: maejoshi@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Sanjay S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cursor control; Human-computer interface; Median frequency shift; Muscle fatigue; Myoelectric interface; Surface electromyography; sEMG