NEW
Neuromuscular Assessment in the Elderly Worker
Project of the EU 5th Framework Programe

The System Software Laboratory contributes to the NEW project mainly with the expertise in advanced signal processing and software technologies for proprietary independent data exchange and storage.

Clinical importance of surface EMG depends on sophisticated computer algorithms, in particular for the EMG decomposition to the fundamental building blocks in the form of innervation pulse trains and motor-unit action potentials (MUAPs).

In the previous projects, we applied the following EMG decomposition approaches:
multimodal parametric search
subtractive wavelet transform
time-scale phase representation
dynamic systems and time-frequency representation

The focus in conjunction with the NEW project is on the development of thorough SEMG decomposition methods:
blind source separation
system identification based on the optimised higher-order cumulants
NEW Project
  Background
    The fraction of people older than 60 that are still working in the EC in now 22 % and is expected to grow to 30 % by 2025.As life expectancy and retirement age increase, health statistics indicate an increased incidence of work related neuromuscular disorders and a need to study them. The information contained in the electrical and mechanical signals generated by muscles of the hand, wrist, arm, neck and shoulder regions will provide means for addressing the problem.
Project's official site: http://www.lisin.polito.it/new/
  Coordinator
    Roberto Merletti, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  Partners
    12 European institutions (10 academic, 2 industrial), involved in SEMG research
  Participating SSL researchers
    Prof. Dr. Damjan Zazula, Dr. Dean Korošec, Dr. Aleš Holobar