FlexEMG: Tunable EMG Acquisition Board

Description

FlexEMG is an 8-channel electromyography device that uses digital potentiometers and digital rheostats to adaptively tune resistor values. This allows users to modify amplifier gain and filter cutoff frequency values in real-time. The design utilizes low-noise and low-current amplifiers, a 16-bit SAR ADC, and input channel multiplexing to minimize current consumption. The device implements a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm for automatic gain control, ensuring the full range of EMG signals is monitored without voltage-rail clipping, maximizing signal resolution. We used it to control a 4-DOF robotic arm. The Doctor Octopus Initiative is the larger project that this is a part of, aiming to physically recreate Doctor Octopus's neurally-controlled limbs, from Spiderman. Our prototype won 1st Place @ California Neurotech BCI Competition 2025. But we're not done yet... Partners: Sean Isomatsu, Reuben Thomas, Wei Wang, Aditya Arora