Portable EMG System for IoT Using MQTT

Abstract

Conventional electromyography (EMG) systems in clinical settings present limitations including high examination costs (500,000-1,500,000 IDR), bulky equipment, and lack of remote monitoring capabilities. This study develops and validates a portable Internet of Things (IoT)-based EMG system utilizing Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol for wireless muscle activity monitoring. The system integrates an EMG V3 sensor module with NodeMCU ESP8266 microcontroller, powered by dual 18650 batteries. Implementation utilized Arduino IDE and IoT MQTT Panel application. Validation comprised functional suitability testing (ISO/IEC 25010:2012), signal characteristics analysis across five subjects with 10 trials each, and repeatability precision evaluation (ISO 17025:2017). The system demonstrated 100% functional suitability. EMG signal characteristics showed average peak-to-peak voltage of 8.95±0.62 mV during relaxation and 10.48±0.58 mV during contraction, with Root Mean Square (RMS) voltage of 1.38±0.11 mV and 1.94±0.21 mV, respectively. Signal frequency-maintained consistency at approximately 50 Hz. Overall repeatability precision achieved 97.62%. This portable EMG system addresses conventional system limitations through wireless connectivity and reduced cost while maintaining measurement accuracy suitable for muscle health monitoring applications.