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. 2020 Feb 2;20(3):809.
doi: 10.3390/s20030809.

Surface Electromyography-Controlled Automobile Steering Assistance

Edric John Cruz Nacpil  1 , Kimihiko Nakano  1
Affiliations

Surface Electromyography-Controlled Automobile Steering Assistance

Edric John Cruz Nacpil et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Disabilities of the upper limb, such as hemiplegia or upper limb amputation, can limit automobile drivers to steering with one healthy arm. For the benefit of these drivers, recent studies have developed prototype interfaces that realized surface electromyography (sEMG)-controlled steering assistance with path-following accuracy that has been validated with driving simulations. In contrast, the current study expands the application of sEMG-controlled steering assistance by validating the Myo armband, a mass-produced sEMG-based interface, with respect to the path-following accuracy of a commercially available automobile. It was hypothesized that one-handed remote steering with the Myo armband would be comparable or superior to the conventional operation of the automobile steering wheel. Although results of low-speed field testing indicate that the Myo armband had lower path-following accuracy than the steering wheel during a 90° turn and wide U-turn at twice the minimum turning radius, the Myo armband had superior path-following accuracy for a narrow U-turn at the minimum turning radius and a 45° turn. Given its overall comparability to the steering wheel, the Myo armband could be feasibly applied in future automobile studies.

Keywords: advanced driver assistance system (ADAS); automated driving; human-machine interface (HMI); surface electromyography (sEMG).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Myo armband used on right forearm to control steering wheel of COMS automobile.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Steering assistance control scheme.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Static steering assistance control system model with steering wheel angle controller and steering system.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Steering wheel angle control algorithm for rightward steering wheel rotation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Setup of antennas for GPS data logging system mounted in cabin of COMS vehicle.
Figure 6
Figure 6
All drivers tested path-following accuracy of steering wheel and Myo armband by performing: (a) 45° turn; (b) 90° turn; (c) narrow U-turn; and (d) wide U-turn.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Median lateral errors used to evaluate path-following accuracy of steering wheel and Myo armband in the case of four driving scenarios: (a) 45° turn, (b) 90° turn, (c) narrow U-turn, and (d) wide U-turn. * indicates statistically significant difference between averages of lateral error distributions.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Average turning trajectories of steering wheel and Myo armband resulting from five test drivers performing: (a) 45° turn, (b) 90° turn, (c) narrow U-turn, and (d) wide U-turn. Individual turning trajectories for all five drivers shown for (e) 45° turn, (f) 90° turn, (g) narrow U-turn, and (h) wide U-turn.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Average vehicle speed associated with steering wheel and Myo armband for (a) 45° turn, (b) 90° turn, (c) narrow U-turn, and (d) wide U-turn. Vertical dashed lines indicate average times when drivers exited turns.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Average lateral acceleration on COMS vehicle for (a) 45° turn, (b) 90° turn, (c) narrow U-turn, and (d) wide U-turn. Vertical dashed lines indicate average times when drivers exited turns.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Average steering wheel angle of COMS vehicle for (a) 45° turn, (b) 90° turn, (c) narrow U-turn, and (d) wide U-turn. Vertical dashed lines indicate average times when drivers exited turns.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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