An Electroencephalogram Signal based Triggering Circuit for controlling Hand Grasp in Neuroprosthetics
Abstract
Quadriplegia is a serious problem in the case of patients with neurological disorders. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) has been a very good rehabilitation technique to treat this condition and help the patient to lead a near-normal life by aiding him/her to move the limbs of the upper and lower extremities with less difficulty. Various techniques have been proposed to trigger the FES system. In this paper, we describe the design of a novel circuit used to trigger a FES device by a person’s EEG signals i.e., by his thoughts. The total project was divided into three modules. The first module was to design a proper interface between the electrodes placed on the scalp and the electronic system which was to be used as a trigger. The second module was to amplify the signal to a sufficient level such that the strength of the signal is high enough to drive the third module which served as the classifier part. The classifier part of the circuit was built out of commercially available IC’s and external discrete components. Though there was some tolerance errors induced due to the external components, the error was at a minimal rate when compared with the actual signal considered. The circuit was powered by a 9V battery and the only input to it was the thought waves through EEG signals from the subject/patient considered. The circuit is low power efficient with a wide operational range of ±3V to ±18V.
Keywords
Circuit synthesis Electroencephalography Electronic equipment Filters Instrument amplifiers Integrated circuits Logic designPreview
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