IMPLEMENTATION OF TRIBOELECTRIC NANOGENERATOR (TENG) INTEGRATION FOR MUSCLE ACTIVITY MONITORING

Abstract

This work investigates the integration of Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) for muscle activity monitoring, offering an alternative to traditional methods like EMG and force sensors. The research focuses on the sensor’s accuracy, sensitivity, and reliability in detecting muscle contractions across various muscle groups and contraction types. The study incorporates the use of different filters and circuit configurations, including low-pass filters, to improve signal quality and reduce noise. It was experimentally shown that the TENG sensor was able to provide reliable muscle force measurements highly correlated to the force sensor and EMG data. Both extremely slight and extremely large muscle contractions were proven to be sensitive by the sensor, and it exhibited low MAE and RMSE values, doing so accurately. Moreover, the sensor’s coefficient of variation (CV) suggested well reproducible values among several trials. Although suffering from some issues, such as signal noise and sensor misalignment, the TENG sensor was successfully used as a wearable muscle activity monitoring solution with the opportunities for applications in healthcare, sports science and rehabilitation. Finally, the study recommends means of future improvements such as sensor optimization, advanced signal processing and integration into smart wearable devices for continuous and real time muscle activity monitoring.