Continuous Monitoring of Muscle Thickness Changes During Isometric Contraction Using a Wearable Ultrasonic Sensor

Abstract

We investigated the continuous monitoring of muscle thickness during muscle contraction using a wearable ultrasonic sensor. This sensor enables muscle monitoring without restricting muscle movement beneath the sensor due to its lightness, thinness and flexibility. In the in vivo experiment conducted in this study, M- mode ultrasound measurements were performed on the right forearm of a human subject. For the isometric muscle contraction performed in the experiment, the measured average total thickness change of the tissue between the sensor (skin surface) and bone was 0.8 mm (3.4%). In addition, it was successfully demonstrated that the thickness change of each muscle layer was measured in accordance with the performed muscle contraction.