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MyoWare Muscle Sensor
Using our muscles to control things is the way that most of us are accustomed to doing it. We push buttons, pull levers, move joysticks... but what if we could take the buttons, levers and joysticks out of the equation? This is the MyoWare Muscle Sensor, an Arduino-powered, all-in-one electromyography (EMG) sensor from Advancer Technologies. The MyoWare board acts by measuring the filtered and rectified electrical activity of a muscle; outputting 0-Vs Volts depending the amount of activity in the selected muscle, where Vs signifies the voltage of the power source. It's that easy: stick on a few electrodes (not included), read the voltage out and flex some muscles!
The MyoWare Muscle Sensor is the latest revision of the Muscle Sensor of old, now with a new wearable design that allows you to attach biomedical sensor pads directly to the board itself getting rid of those pesky cables. This new board also includes a slew of other new features including, single-supply voltage of +3.1V to +5V, RAW EMG output, polarity protected power pins, indicator LEDs, and (finally) an On/Off switch. Additionally, we have developed a few shields (Cable, Power, and Proto) that can attach to the Myoware Muscle Sensor to help increase its versatility and functionality!
Measuring muscle activity by detecting its electric potential, referred to as electromyography (EMG), has traditionally been used for medical research. However, with the advent of ever shrinking yet more powerful microcontrollers and integrated circuits, EMG circuits and sensors have found their way into all kinds of control systems.
Note: Biomedical sensor pads can be found in the Recommended Products section below to be purchased separately.
- Wearable Design
- Single Supply
- +2.9V to +5.7V
- Polarity reversal protection
- Two Output Modes
- EMG Envelope
- Raw EMG
- Expandable via Shields
- LED Indicators
- Specially Designed For Microcontrollers
- Adjustable Gain
- 0.82" x 2.06"
- User Manual
- MyoWare Sensor & Shields Guide
- Conductive Fabric Electrodes
- Arduino Example Code
- GitHub (Example Code & Design Files)
MyoWare Muscle Sensor Product Help and Resources
MyoWare Muscle Sensor Kit
March 17, 2016
Line of products to work with the MyoWare muscle sensor from Advancer Technologies.
Core Skill: Programming
If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.
Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
See all skill levels
Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
See all skill levels
Comments
Looking for answers to technical questions?
We welcome your comments and suggestions below. However, if you are looking for solutions to technical questions please see our Technical Assistance page.
Customer Reviews
3.9 out of 5
Based on 9 ratings:
3 of 3 found this helpful:
Easy to use, Costly to reuse
The Myoware sensor works great and is easy to set up. I was able to get a NeoPixel strand test set up right away. My only issue is that it requires three EKG pads or whatever they are called for every other use which adds up quickly. If there was a $10/$20 reusable option for the pads, I'd give this product 5 stars.
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Didnt get it to work efficiently
The sensor works almost fine but the attached wire for the reference terminal is not too long enough so we are unable to get the required values accurately. Moreover, there is not provided any manual for specifically this model. We will be thankful to you if you people help us on its REAL TIME DATA acquisition.
Hi!
Have you contacted our technical support department over at Techsupport@sparkfun.com ? They can help you to troubleshoot and potentially help you out with your real time data acquisition if you reach out to them.
3 of 3 found this helpful:
Works Like Magic
Bought the myoware sensor for my class project and it works perfectly
1 of 1 found this helpful:
not all work
We purchased 6 for a lab class I'm teaching. Only 4 worked well. Other two were totally unreliable.
Sorry to hear about the issues with the sensors. Have you reached out to our technical support staff? They can help to troubleshoot your setup and get you replacement sensors for the class. You can reach them at techsupport@sparkfun.com
1 of 2 found this helpful:
I have had a lot of fun with them, gave one to my Grandson who is 4 years old he loved it, i have made him a prosthetic hand to play with he is into robotics. I have built 3 robotic hands controlled by Arduino. I am 83 years old and retired wanting something to keep me occupied robotics is it. I print all my projects on my 3D printers.
Myo fun
Did what I said it would do - and cheaply. Really happy.
Smart sensor for epileptic cesures
It is just the device that we need for our Project.
0 of 1 found this helpful:
prosthetic hand
Hi If someone is played with this In prosthetic hand projects, please share experience with me. Maybe we can share some knowledge?! Mail to Teppo.erkkila@gmail.com
Is it possible to extend the reference electrode range? another question is, is it possible to connect this device with Bluetooth?
Hi there, it sounds like you are looking for technical assistance. Please use the link in the banner above, to get started with posting a topic in our forums. Our technical support team will do their best to assist you.
That being said, to answer your first question... I don't think so, it is a limitation of the sensor's IC. To answer, you second question, yes, but not easily and you'd have to figure out how to get that working on your own.
Hi, I would like to know that whether the sampling rate is 1k Hz and the Detection Range in mV. Thanks in advanced.
Hi there, it sounds like you are looking for technical assistance. Please use the link in the banner above, to get started with posting a topic in our forums. Our technical support team will do their best to assist you.
However, your best option would be to reach out to the manufacturer, listed in the user manual.
Hello! I would like to know if we can send the collected data from the EMG sensor through a bluetooth module to the android card? If yes, should I choose a specific bluetooth module to mount with the EMG sensor? I am currently working on a school project, any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Hello! Are there any references for integration of this to the conductive fabric ?
http://www.advancertechnologies.com/2013/03/diy-conductive-fabric-electrodes.html
Hope that helps!
i would like to use this sensor for my problem on the jawbone. (TMJ disorder) I would like to get signals while working on the computer about the muscle tension on the joint muscles of my jaw bone. I know it is a treatment applied in the therapy sessions but since I am a maker myself, I thought i can use your item. Do you think it would sense the tension there maybe it is not as strong as on the arm or so ?
I bought it for my project purpose.. but I don't know the product details..Can you help Me to explain about this product to my teacher..
I bought this device along with the Myoware Cable Shield and my device is giving me incorrect readings. The red light to say that the "Muscle is contracting" is constantly on! Does anyone know why this is happening?
I am not sure if you have resolved the issue but did you try adjusting the gain? Try looking at my troubleshooting comment here => https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/myoware-muscle-sensor-kit/discuss#comment-58dd3817f3b1a87e608b4568 .
Is the isolation amplifier necessary if the USB port is plugged into a computer that is not connected to the power grid?
The sensor accompanies the Biomedical Sensor Pad?
i bought this kit from one week ago to read subvocal signal (signal from throat ) but it didn't sense any signal from my throat . any idea,
Customers have used the MyoWare to measure vocal cord activation. You might want to double check your setup. Feel free to email us at support@advancer.co if you need help troubleshooting.
One complaint is that the connector that is supposed to be attached to the user's bony area is way too short. There is not a good bony area that close to a large muscle (such as the bicep).
The reference electrode can be attached areas other than a bony area. It simply needs to be attached to an area that is adjacent to the muscle you are trying to measure. The function of this electrode is to align the sensor's ground state with the ground state of the user's body. Yes, a bony area is ideal because it does not produce electrical signals but it is by no means strictly required. For example, the sensor will work perfectly fine for the bicep if you place it along the inside of the user's arm between the bicep and tricep.
Do you happen to know what the frequency range is and where the rolloff/cutoff points are set at?
Most of the filtering comes from the high CMRR of the AD8236 which will remove most noise artifacts common to both input electrodes such as the dreaded 50/60Hz electrical "hum". Other than that there is a high pass filter that is used to remove DC offsets that can be present due to electrode polarization and skin dielectric characteristics. This HPF has a cutoff frequency of 0.33Hz. The EMG envelope output (SIG) has an integration circuit that has a cutoff frequency of 2Hz. (note: the Raw EMG output (RAW) does not go through this portion of the circuitry.)