Identification of dynamic behaviour of forearm for active control of pathological tremor

Pathological tremor is defined as an oscillatory and rhythmic movement of a segment of the body caused by the alternating activation of muscle groups in antagonism between them; a typical pathological condition known as essential tremor, which is the most common form of tremor also having a family character (2-5% of the population) have a characteristic frequency between 5 Hz and 7 Hz, such as Parkinsonian tremor that arises at frequencies higher than 8 Hz. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic behavior of the forearm induced by the hand movements, measured due to the electromyographic sensors and accelerometers. The relationships of accelerometric and electromyographic signals are compared between a control group of healthy subjects and patients affected by Parkinson disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). The vibrational phenomena analyzed in this experimental investigation are observed by means of SEMG (surface electro-myographic) sensors placed on flexor and extensor muscle compartment of forearm and accelerometer sensors for the hand vibration with the aim to detect and recognize the dynamic properties of onset of pathological tremor in patients affected by (PD) and (ET). A real-time monitoring and data logger system have been developed and deep described to monitor the tremor: the system allows data monitoring with a portable lightweight microcontroller board based on a CompactRio data acquisition system with a chassis controller module designed for data input, controlling and output generation, powered by 12 Volt battery. The CRio System provides an algorithm to generate functional electrical stimulation signals with different waveforms for control purpose. Experimental measurement data on healthy control subjects are presented. Data are analyzed, and the results are discussed