Non-invasive EMG Sensor Assemblies for Oropharynx Muscle Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electromyography (EMG) techniques, such as needle EMG (NEMG) and surface EMG (SEMG), face limitations in accurately assessing neuromuscular function, especially in sensitive or hard-to-reach areas like the oropharynx, due to invasiveness, pain, risk of infection, limited spatial resolution, and interference from adjacent muscles or moisture.
Innovation Solution
The development of non-invasive sensor assemblies that use a pair of rounded electrodes to elastically deform the tissue surface, allowing for the direct measurement of electrical activity from specific muscle tissues without penetrating the tissue surface. These sensor assemblies can be used to evaluate neuromuscular function and diagnose conditions in muscles located within moist body cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If needle EMG is used to assess neuromuscular function, then measurement precision is improved, but object-affected harmful factors increase due to invasiveness, pain, and infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the measurement function by using separate contactless sensors for each muscle group, allowing precise localized measurement without physical penetration. Multiple independent sensors can be positioned at different anatomical locations to assess individual muscle function independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary electromagnetic field as the mediator between the measurement device and muscle tissue. The sensors detect electrical activity through the skin without direct contact, eliminating the need for needle penetration while maintaining measurement capability through field-based interaction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If surface EMG is used to assess muscle function, then object-affected harmful factors are reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to limited spatial resolution and cross-talk
Solution Approach 1:
The device implements local quality by designing sensors with focused detection zones that concentrate measurement sensitivity on specific muscle areas. Each sensor is optimized to detect electrical activity from a targeted muscle group while minimizing sensitivity to adjacent muscles, thereby reducing cross-talk and improving spatial resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enhances spatial resolution by incorporating three-dimensional sensor arrays and multi-layer electrode configurations. This dimensional approach allows differentiation of signals from adjacent muscles through depth discrimination and angular sensitivity variations, overcoming the two-dimensional limitations of conventional surface EMG.
3Ease of operation
If conventional EMG sensors are used in moist body cavities, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to signal degradation from moisture and tissue penetration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses electromagnetic fields as an intermediary that can penetrate moist environments and biological tissues without degradation. This allows reliable signal detection in body cavities filled with moisture, secretions, or blood without requiring direct contact or tissue penetration, maintaining both ease of operation and signal reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based sensing with electromagnetic field-based detection. This substitution eliminates the mechanical penetration and physical contact issues that plague conventional EMG in moist environments, allowing sensors to function reliably through skin, mucous membranes, and fluid-filled spaces without degradation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution enables accurate and non-invasive evaluation of neuromuscular function, overcoming the limitations of traditional EMG techniques by providing repeatable signal measurements with improved spatial resolution and reduced noise, thus facilitating more effective diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of rounded electrodes to elastically deform the tissue surface, allowing for the direct measurement of electrical activity from specific muscle tissues
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods herein relate to electromyography (EMG) that may be used in diagnostic and/or therapeutic applications, including but not limited to electrophysiological study of muscles in the body relating to neuromuscular function and/or disorders. Sensor assemblies and methods are described herein for non-invasively generating an EMG signal corresponding to muscle tissue where the sensor may be positioned directly on a surface of the muscle tissue including any associated membrane (e.g., mucosal, endothelial, synovial) overlying the muscle tissue. A sensor assembly may include one or more pairs of closely spaced, atraumatic electrodes in a bipolar or multipolar configuration. The first and second electrodes may be applied against a surface of muscle tissue (that may include a membrane overlying the muscle) and receive electrical activity signal data corresponding to an electrical potential difference of the portion of muscle between the electrodes.