An intuitive visualized method to reflect comfort feedback using EMG sensors

Abstract

The integration of advanced sensors into Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has become an essential approach for monitoring health and comfort-related biological data. While sensors can effectively gather objective physiological signals and data, they often fail to directly represent a user’s subjective experience of comfort when working solely. To address this gap, this study proposes a method using Electromyography (EMG) to monitor muscle activities as the primary input, combing it with preset thresholds as output parameters for indicators. By connecting EMG sensors to a single-chip controller and LED indicators, the system visualizes user comfort in a direct and intuitive manner through color changes of LED lights. The research was conducted in three studies: a literature review involving studies on EMG-comfort correlations, an experimental massage scenario testing the EMG input-LED output-based comfort indicators, and the structural design of the EMG monitoring and LED indicator device. Preliminary results demonstrate a promising approach to bridging objective biological data with subjective user feedback. Despite hardware and sensor placement limitations, future software and hardware refinements can be implemented to enhance system accuracy. This research offers new insights into sensor-based HCI and promotes better awareness of physiological health and comfort.

Date of Award	15 Nov 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Nottingham
Supervisor	Jiang Wu (Supervisor) & Xu Sun (Supervisor)