Wireless Control Combining Myoelectric Signal and Human Body Communication for Wearable Robots

Abstract

In this study, a communication module based on human body communication was developed to wirelessly control a wearable robot hand based on myoelectric signals. The communication module adopts 10–60 MHz band and an impulse radio multi-pulse position modulation method to achieve low transmission loss and high data rate. A technique to reduce the module size was developed by sharing the myoelectric signal detection electrode and transmitting electrode, and three receiving electrode structures were investigated to improve signal transmission performance. As a result, the developed communication module provides a packet detection rate of 100% and a bit error rate of less than 10−6 up to at least 110 cm along the arm, and a wearable robot hand was demonstrated to be properly controlled based on a human subject’s myoelectric signals.