FYP Proposal Presentation
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
What is Electromyography ?
Study of the electro-physiological characteristics of
muscles during contraction and rest.
(Mills,K.R , The basics of Electromyography 2005 , p32)
Measures the action potentional’s of the nerves.
Visual depiction of the firing rates in the form of a
graph on a pc monitor.
The device is called an Electromyograph [EMG]
The recording is called an Electromyogram.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
How is it performed ?
Electrodes are either inserted or attached to
the surface of muscles to record the firing
rates which are interfaced with an
electromyograph such as Powerlab® from
ADInstruments® .
The weak signals are amplified and then
produced on a monitor using a chart software.
The electromyograph processes the signals so
that it can be visualized on the pc monitor.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Why is it performed ?
Clinical Application
– To determine integrity of nerves and their
pathways.
– To distinguish between muscular or neural
damage.
– Sports Science.
Ergonomic Application
– As in the case of this experiment.
– To determine exactly how much stress is put on
which muscle groups while performing a task.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools” 5
A Sample Electromyogram
•Peaks Represent
muscular activity.
•There amplitude
and frequency
determine the
force of the
contraction.
•When the muscle
is at rest there
will be no peaks
in the graph.Adapted from (Mills,K.R , The basics of Electromyography
2005 , p33 , Fig 1)
“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Mechanism of Muscular Contractions
Nerves responsible for muscular contraction are called motor neurons.
Those muscles which one particular nerve innervates is termed as a motor unit.
When a motor unit is activated via an action potential , it triggers a sequence of stages that cause the muscular fibers to contract.
The electromyograph records this electrical activity.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
What is Ergonomics ?
The process of fitting the job to the worker
instead of worker to the job.
(Kominski.L , “Workplace Ergonomics” ,Labor Occupational Safety & Health
Program, UCLA website)
Matching the design of the tools , controls
and equipments to the safety needs of the
workers. (Kominski.L , “Workplace Ergonomics” ,Labor Occupational Safety & Health
Program, UCLA website)
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Malaysian Rubber Industry
• Malaysia is still one of the largest producers on
natural rubber in the world with a steady growth
in its demand.
• Properties of natural rubber outweigh its
synthetic form fuelling its enormous industrial
need.
• There are more than 100,000 rubber tappers who
actively work in the huge rubber plantations
throughout Malaysia. (Arutchelvan,S ,2003 “Malaysian Plantation Workers and judicial recourse”
V34, p1)
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Overview of rubber tapping(extracting) process
Rubber is extracted from rubber trees
(Hevea Brasilensis) (Tapping Management in Rubber , Open
Academy for Philippine Agriculture , Web Article).
The rubber tapper makes an appropriate
excision on the bark of the tree to collect
the latex for processing into rubber.
Various methods exist today for the process
of tapping but the manual process is still
the most economic and commonly used.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools” 10
Half Spiral method of Rubber tapping still being used today (adapted from Rubber Tapping ,
http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/armstrong/syllabi/rubber/rubtree2.htm )
“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Commonly Used Rubber Tapping Tools
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These are the commonly used rubber tapping tools used today by rubber tappers ,
The different designs are for whether a downward motion is being used or an
upward motion is being used to make the excisions in the trees.
(Adapted from Rubber tapping Knives ,
http://www.alibaba.com/catalogs/142003/Hand_Tools.html)
“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Risk Factors associated with Rubber
Tapper Workers
Manual rubber tapping is a very repetitive
process in which the tappers will excise
200 to 300 trees in a single day. (Tapping Management
in Rubber , Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture , Web Article)
Run the risk of developing Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome(CTS) due to repetitive stress on
the wrist.
Bending of the wrist termed as either ulnar
or radial deviation will lead to development
of CTS and other wrist problems.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
• Repetitive strain injury. (Smith , E , “Its All in the wrist”, 2005 , Vol 7
No 1)
• Cumulative Traumatic Disorders (CTD’s)
• Impairment of motor and sensory function of the median nerve as it traverses the carpal tunnel. (Browning.P , “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” E-Medicine Journal,Web Article)
– Caused due to the swelling of the nerve.
– Extrinsic compression by the various surrounding structures.
• Leads to pain , numbness , loss of sensation in the palms and wrist.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
CTS Characteristics
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(Image Retrieved from Google Image Search – Key Word “Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome Illustration”)
“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Research Objectives
1. A statistical comparative study of the electromyograms obtained from the experiment.
2. To determine which tools offers the least amount of strain and injury by determining the angle of deviation of the wrist.
3. To obtain data that would be used in the development of more ergonomically designed rubber tapping tools.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Research Methodology
1. Simulation of actual rubber tapping process on
an object that possesses characteristics similar
to the tree.
2. EMG electrodes will be placed on the
belly(fleshy contractile part of the muscle) of
the muscles which have been identified to be
involved during the rubber tapping process.
3. Study would be conducted on 10 Males and 10
Females simulating the extraction process.
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Data Analysis
Use of Root Mean Square (RMS) Formula
to translate the graphical data into
numerical form
– A routine that has to be programmed into the
chart software.
– Or Use of Excel or SPSS to run the Analysis
– RMS is a statistical measure of the magnitude
of a varying quantity with positive or negative
values such as a wave (Root Mean Square 2007, Wikipedia Free
Encyclopedia)
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“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Proposed Schedule
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Week # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
July August September October
Literature
review
[5 weeks]
Proposal
Writing
[4 weeks]
Experiment-
aion
[5 weeks]
Result
Analysis
[5 weeks]
Thesis
Preparation
[8 weeks]
“An EMG study of different
rubber tapper tools”
Significance of the Research
To enhance the occupational safety of
rubber tapper workers.
The number of rubber tappers in Malaysia
are in excess of 100,000. (Arutchelvan,S ,2003 “Malaysian
Plantation Workers and judicial recourse” V34, p1)
To Determine which tools being marketed
today is more ergonomically efficient.
Make recommendations towards the design
of more ergonomic tapping tools.
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