Paula did the Final Degree Project titled Design and Construction of a Portable Low Cost Electromyograph
Can you summarize your Final Degree Project for us?
My Final Degree project consisted of designing a prototype of an electromyograph. This device that measures the electrical activity of muscles is expensive and heavy, so the goal was to reduce the price and weight so that more students could use it in class, or to take it to developing countries. The final result is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and all the electronics of the device inside a box made with 3D printing. The box has 4 connectors, 3 for the surface electrodes that collect the signal, and the last one is for the amplified signal, which is connected to a screen to be able to see it.
Why did you apply for the awards call and how do you think your work contributes to the SDGs?
I applied for the SDG Awards because my project can help bring EMG devices to developing countries. The final device remains at €31, and the dimensions are 8x7.5x6.5 cm, so the price and weight are greatly reduced. This could be of help since the 3er The objective of the SDGs, that of Health and Well-being, indicates that it is important to achieve universal health coverage.If the EMG designed in this project is used, a better quality of life is achieved for people with neuromuscular diseases, because diagnosis is improved. Greater health coverage is achieved in developing countries, and it contributes to the development of health personnel in developed and developing countries by being able to obtain more devices to practice.
What are you doing now, and what would you like to do in the future?
I am currently finishing the Master in Robotics and Automation at UC3M, and I am working as a research assistant in the robotics laboratories. In the future, I would like to continue working in robotics, especially in the development of prosthetics or exoskeletons.
What do you recommend to future students?
Biomedical Engineering has the advantage that it covers many different branches. In the degree you learn about Electronics, Medical Image Processing, Anatomy, Artificial Intelligence, Tissue Engineering and so on, so you have many different fields in which to work.