Abstract
Electrical muscle stimulation is used to reduce muscle atrophy, relax muscle spasms, increase localized blood flow, provide muscle re-education and increase flexibility. However, the electrical waveforms to produce such treatment are not fully optimized. This thesis describes a device that can be used to optimize electrical muscle stimulation waveforms. The device’s design, implementation and evaluation are presented. The test results show the muscle stimulator is able to generate waveforms with a sample rate of 1Msps and a resolution of 10-bits. The stimulator produces a constant current output with a signal bandwidth from DC to 87.1 kHz. The high voltage compliance of the stimulator allows for the generation of peak current up to ±100mA for a 1kΩ load. Output Impedance. The device also incorporates an electromyograph capable of amplifying 121µV signals to measure with 12-bits of resolution. The electromyograph provides filtering to remove high and low frequency noise. The device creates a 1kV isolation barrier for patient safety. The device presented in this thesis can be used to create custom stimulation waveforms for a physiological investigation to find optimal stimulus.
