Live magnetomyography and robotic-hand proxy control using a wearable triaxial optically pumped magnetometer

Tools

Dawson, Rach and Safavi, Sohaila and Mrozowski, Marcin S and O'Dwyer, Carolyn and Hunter, Dominic and Riis, Erling and Griffin, Paul F and Ingleby, Stuart (2026) Live magnetomyography and robotic-hand proxy control using a wearable triaxial optically pumped magnetometer. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49442-x)

[thumbnail of s41598-026-49442-x_reference] Text. Filename: s41598-026-49442-x_reference.pdf
Accepted Author Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only until 1 January 2099.
Download (8MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Zero-field optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) represent a promising modality in biomagnetism research due to their ultra-sensitive capabilities contained within compact sensor packages that enable contactless biomagnetic measurements. In this study, we utilized a zero-field OPM to simultaneously measure three-axis components of biomagnetic fields produced by muscle activity in the human forearm caused through independent finger movements, with the goal of recognizing multiple gestures using only a single magnetic sensor. We recorded muscle activity caused by the opening and closing of each finger 60 times, triggered by an auditory tone, and trained a neural network to classify the different finger movements. We utilized the triaxial OPM and trained neural network in a live-testing mode to replicate the participant's hand gestures onto a robotic-hand proxy, with [Formula: see text]s delay, firstly for three fingers (little, middle, and thumb) and subsequently for all five fingers. Using a single OPM sensor, we captured, recognized, and replicated finger gestures from one participant in a controlled laboratory setting. In the three-gesture live test, all three finger movements were identified and replicated with ≥ 98% accuracy. In the five-gesture live test, four out of five fingers were identified and replicated with ≥ 90% accuracy, with the little finger being the most challenging to distinguish with a reduced 45% accuracy. These results demonstrate that a single zero-field OPM sensor in a triaxial measurement scheme can be effectively used for contactless recognition and replication of multiple finger movements, providing a proof-of-concept toward future wearable OPM-based magnetomyography systems. [Abstract copyright: © 2026. The Author(s).]

ORCID iDs

Dawson, Rach, Safavi, Sohaila, Mrozowski, Marcin S ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9616-4058, O'Dwyer, Carolyn, Hunter, Dominic ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4177-6027, Riis, Erling ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3225-5302, Griffin, Paul F ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0134-7554 and Ingleby, Stuart ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7473-9949;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:96310
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    6 May 2026
    Published
    6 May 2026
    Published Online
    15 April 2026
    Accepted
    31 December 2025
    Submitted
    Subjects:Science > Physics
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:20 May 2026 08:29
    Last modified:02 Jun 2026 07:13
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/96310
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)