Feasibility of an RFID-based transcutaneous wireless communication for the control of upper-limb myoelectric prosthesis

Abstract

Modern active hand prostheses include myoelectric controlled electronics and actuators to restore the lost biome-chanics functionalities. It is here investigated the feasibility of a wireless transcutaneous telemetry link based on the UHF Radiofrequency Identification aimed at collecting the electromyographic signal just at the level of the muscular tissues. The link should interconnect one or more implanted battery-less antennas with an external miniaturized and conformal reader's antenna integrated with the prosthetic socket. Numerical models and preliminary laboratory experimentations demonstrated the possibility to successfully establish an RFID data link with a multiplicity of implanted tags even by using a low-power (0.25 W) embedded reader with a displacement-tolerance among interrogating and sensor antennas of 1-2 cm.