Implementation of a Portable Electromyographic Prototype for the Detection of Muscle Fatigue

Surface electromyography (sEMG) applied to the sports training area makes possible the observation of fatigue as well as the generation of muscular strength, through the study of changes in signal characteristics, such as peak-to-peak amplitude, mean frequency and median, among others. In this sense, this work presents the design of a portable prototype for the acquisition and processing of electromyographic (EMG) signals aimed at the detection of muscle fatigue in athletes. Using two Bluetooth Bee modules, a wireless communication was performed in order to send the muscular electrical activity of the skin surface to a user interface developed in LabVIEW. A group of players from the Volleyball team of the Universidad del Magdalena, performed a series of exercise routines with dynamic contractions and as they experienced fatigue, samples were taken of the contractions made. The tests were performed on the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris muscles. The analysis of fatigue under dynamic conditions of the two parameters studied, in frequency and time, showed that it is more pertinent to estimate fatigue indices in the frequency domain.