{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T06:54:41Z","timestamp":1768546481413,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]],"date-time":"2025-08-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755820800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["[UI\/BD\/151321\/2021]"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[UI\/BD\/151321\/2021]"]}]},{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["[LA\/P\/0117\/2020]"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[LA\/P\/0117\/2020]"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The assessment of upper limb (UL) movement patterns plays a critical role in the rehabilitation of individuals with motor impairments resulting from neuromotor disorders, which significantly affect essential activities of daily living (ADLs) such as drinking and eating. However, conventional clinical evaluation methods often lack objective and quantitative insights into the biomechanics of movement. To enable accurate identification of pathological patterns, it is first necessary to establish normative biomechanical and electrophysiological benchmarks in healthy individuals. In this study, a previously developed, low-cost, wearable, and portable prototype device was employed to objectively assess UL movement. The system, specifically designed for clinical applicability, integrates surface electromyography (EMG) sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to capture muscle activity and kinematic data, respectively. Thirty healthy participants were recruited to perform standardized drinking and eating tasks. The analysis focused on characterizing muscle activation patterns and joint range of motion during different task phases. Results revealed consistent variations in muscle contraction and joint kinematics, allowing the identification of distinct activation profiles for key shoulder muscles. The findings contribute to the establishment of a normative dataset that can serve as a reference for the assessment of clinical populations. Such data are essential for informing rehabilitation strategies and developing predictive models of UL function during ADLs in individuals with neuromotor disorders.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s25175227","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]],"date-time":"2025-08-22T12:31:26Z","timestamp":1755865886000},"page":"5227","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Electromyographic and Kinematic Analysis of the Upper Limb During Drinking and Eating Using a Wearable Device Prototype"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3569-2495","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patr\u00edcia","family":"Santos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Associated Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (REAL), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Physics Department, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Health Department, Superior School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Beja, 7800-111 Beja, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1598-7193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipa","family":"Marqu\u00eas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physics Department, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1015-4655","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Quint\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Associated Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (REAL), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Physics Department, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9978-261X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cl\u00e1udia","family":"Quaresma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Associated Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (REAL), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Physics Department, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2961","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSRE.2024.3439669","article-title":"Movement diversity and complexity increase as arm impairment decreases after stroke: Quality of movement experience as a possible target for wearable feedback","volume":"32","author":"Okita","year":"2024","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"964","DOI":"10.1080\/09593985.2018.1460430","article-title":"The evaluation of non-use of the upper limb in chronic hemiparesis is influenced by the level of motor impairment and difficulty of the activities-proposal of a new version of the Motor Activity Log","volume":"35","author":"Silva","year":"2019","journal-title":"Physiother. Theory Pract."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lencioni, T., Fornia, L., Bowman, T., Marzegan, A., Caronni, A., Turolla, A., and Jonsdottir, J. (2021). A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effects Induced by Robot-Assisted and Usual-Care Rehabilitation on Upper Limb Muscle Synergies in Post-Stroke Subjects. Sci. Rep., 11.","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-84536-8"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hatem, S.M., Saussez, G., Della Faille, M., Prist, V., Zhang, X., Dispa, D., and Bleyenheuft, Y. (2016). Rehabilitation of Motor Function after Stroke: A Multiple Systematic Review Focused on Techniques to Stimulate Upper Extremity Recovery. Front. Hum. Neurosci., 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2016.00442"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1017\/S1355617700000114","article-title":"Ecological implications of limb apraxia: Evidence from mealtime behavior","volume":"1","author":"Foundas","year":"1995","journal-title":"J. Int. Neuropsychol. Soc."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bie\u0144kiewicz, M., Brandi, M.L., Goldenberg, G., Hughes, C., and Hermsd\u00f6rfer, J. (2014). The tool in the brain: Apraxia in ADL. Behavioral and neurological correlates of apraxia in daily living. Front. Psychol., 5.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2014.00353"},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"771","article-title":"Disordered action schema and action disorganisation syndrome","volume":"15","author":"Humphreys","year":"1998","journal-title":"Cogn. Neuropsychol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1002\/mus.20343","article-title":"Modifiability of abnormal isometric elbow and shoulder joint torque coupling after stroke","volume":"32","author":"Ellis","year":"2005","journal-title":"Muscle Nerve."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1682\/JRRD.2011.04.0074","article-title":"Compensatory arm reaching strategies after stroke: Induced position analysis","volume":"50","author":"Liu","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Rehabil. Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"553","DOI":"10.3109\/09638288.2014.932450","article-title":"Effect of trunk-restraint training on function and compensatory trunk, shoulder and elbow patterns during post-stroke reach: A systematic review","volume":"37","author":"Pain","year":"2015","journal-title":"Disabil. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbr.2007.11.007","article-title":"\u201cLearned baduse\u201d limits recovery of skilled reaching for food after forelimb motor cortex stroke in rats: A new analysis of the effect of gestures on success","volume":"188","author":"Alaverdashvili","year":"2008","journal-title":"Behav. Brain Res."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1186\/s12984-019-0609-6","article-title":"Detecting compensatory movements of stroke survivors using pressure distribution data and machine learning algorithms","volume":"16","author":"Cai","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Neuroeng. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1177\/1545968308328727","article-title":"What do motor \u201crecovery\u201d and \u201ccompensation\u201d mean in patients following stroke?","volume":"23","author":"Levin","year":"2009","journal-title":"Neurorehabil. Neural Repair."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1186\/1743-0003-3-18","article-title":"Three-dimensional kinematic motion analysis of a daily activity drinking from a glass: A pilot study","volume":"3","author":"Murphy","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Neuroeng. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"348","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(19)30415-6","article-title":"Advances and challenges in stroke rehabilitation","volume":"19","author":"Stinear","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kristoffersson, A., and Lind\u00e9n, M.A. (2022). Systematic Review of Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Physical Activity. Sensors, 22.","DOI":"10.3390\/s22020573"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.1109\/JBHI.2017.2762404","article-title":"Activity Recognition Using Complex Network Analysis","volume":"22","author":"Jalloul","year":"2018","journal-title":"IEEE J. Biomed. Health Inform."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"1793","article-title":"The Bobath (NDT) concept in adult neurological rehabilitation: What is the state of the knowledge? A scoping review. Part I: Conceptual perspectives","volume":"37","author":"Cott","year":"2014","journal-title":"Disabil. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gaitpost.2019.01.037","article-title":"Characterization of normative angular joint kinematics during two functional upper limb tasks","volume":"69","author":"Valevicius","year":"2019","journal-title":"Gait Posture"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Camarinha-Matos, L.M. (2022). Neuromotor Evaluation of the Upper Limb During Activities of Daily Living: A Pilot Study. Technological Innovation for Digitalization and Virtualization DoCEIS, Springer International Publishing.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-07520-9"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Held, J.P., Klaassen, B., Eenhoorn, A., van Beijnum, B.F., Buurke, J.H., Veltink, P.H., and Luft, A.R. (2018). Inertial Sensor Measurements of Upper-Limb Kinematics in Stroke Patients in Clinic and Home Environment. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 6.","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2018.00027"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1177\/1545968310370748","article-title":"Kinematic variables quantifying upper-extremity performance after stroke during reaching and drinking from a glass","volume":"25","author":"Murph","year":"2011","journal-title":"Neurorehabil. Neural Repair"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"57228","article-title":"Kinematic Analysis Using 3D Motion Capture of Drinking Task in People With and Without Upper-extremity Impairments","volume":"133","author":"Murph","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Vis. Exp."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"248","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinbiomech.2013.12.013","article-title":"Kinematic analysis of upper extremity movement during drinking in hemiplegic subjects","volume":"29","author":"Kim","year":"2014","journal-title":"Clin. Biomech."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1186\/1743-0003-7-41","article-title":"Kinematic analysis of the daily activity of drinking from a glass in a population with cervical spinal cord injury","volume":"7","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Neuroeng. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"501","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmr.2017.08.479","article-title":"Kinematic Analysis of a Drinking Task in Chronic Hemiparetic Patients Using Features Analysis and Statistical Parametric Mapping","volume":"99","author":"Santos","year":"2018","journal-title":"Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"343","article-title":"Movement analysis of upper extremity hemiparesis in patients with cerebrovascular disease: A pilot study","volume":"27","author":"Rueda","year":"2012","journal-title":"Neurologia"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1337","DOI":"10.1007\/s00221-017-4897-4","article-title":"Both hands at work: The effect of aging on upper-limb kinematics in a multi-step activity of daily living","volume":"235","author":"Gulde","year":"2017","journal-title":"Exp. Brain Res."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"\u0160lajpah, S., \u010ceba\u0161ek, E., Munih, M., and Mihelj, M. (2023). Time-Based and Path-Based Analysis of Upper-Limb Movements during Activities of Daily Living. Sensors, 23.","DOI":"10.3390\/s23031289"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Blaszczyszyn, M., Szczesna, A., Opara, J., Konieczny, M., Pakosz, P., and Balko, S. (2018). Functional differences in upper limb movement after early and chronic stroke based on kinematic motion indicators. Biomed Pap. Med. Fac. Univ. Palacky. Olomouc. Czech. Repub.","DOI":"10.5507\/bp.2018.061"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Santos, P., Garcia, I., Quint\u00e3o, C., and Quaresma, C. (2024, January 21\u201323). Neuromotor Pattern of the Upper Limb in Hygiene Activities Using Electromyography and Accelerometery Technology. Proceedings of the 17th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies\u2014Biosignals, Rome, Italy.","DOI":"10.5220\/0012463900003657"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"733","DOI":"10.1007\/s12008-022-00862-9","article-title":"Biomechanical analysis of the upper body during overhead industrial tasks using electromyography and motion capture integrated with digital human models","volume":"16","author":"Panariello","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Interact. Des. Manuf."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2737","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSRE.2024.3435042","article-title":"Wearable Technologies for Monitoring Upper Extremity Functions During Daily Life in Neurologically Impaired Individuals","volume":"32","author":"Proietti","year":"2024","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Goodwin, B.M., Cain, S.M., Van Straaten, M.G., Fortune, E., Jahanian, O., and Morrow, M.M.B. (2021). Humeral elevation workspace during daily life of adults with spinal cord injury who use a manual wheelchair compared to age and sex matched able-bodied controls. PLoS ONE, 16.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0248978"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102337","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jelekin.2019.07.007","article-title":"Estimation of manual wheelchair-based activities in the free-living environment using a neural network model with inertial body-worn sensors","volume":"62","author":"Fortune","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Electromyogr. Kinesiol."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1109\/TIM.2023.3279873","article-title":"EMAHA-DB1: A New Upper Limb sEMG Dataset for Classification of Activities of Daily Living","volume":"72","author":"Karnam","year":"2023","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas."},{"key":"ref_37","first-page":"1069","article-title":"Muscle Activation and Inertial Motion Data for Non-Invasive Classification of Activities of Daily Living","volume":"65","author":"Totty","year":"2017","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Santos, P., Marqu\u00eas, I., Quint\u00e3o, C., and Quaresma, C. (2025). Device Prototype for Kinematic and Electromyographic Analysis of the Upper Limb. Doctoral Conference on Computing, Electrical and Industrial Systems\u2014Technological Innovation for AI-Powered Cyber-Physical Systems\u2014DoCEIS, Springer Nature. IFIP AICT.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-97051-1_11"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1186\/s12984-017-0229-y","article-title":"Interactive wearable systems for upper body rehabilitation: A systematic review","volume":"14","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Neuroeng. Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Abas, N., Bukhari, W., Abas, M., and Tokhi, O. (2018, January 10\u201313). Electromyography assessment of forearm muscles: Towards the control of exoskeleton hand. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference Control, Decision and Information Technologies, Thessaloniki, Greece.","DOI":"10.1109\/CoDIT.2018.8394906"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1016\/S1050-6411(02)00083-4","article-title":"Interpretation of EMG changes with fatigue: Facts, pitfalls, and fallacies","volume":"13","author":"Dimitrova","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Electromyogr. Kinesiol."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"182","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jelekin.2007.10.010","article-title":"Electromyographic analysis of pedaling: A review","volume":"19","author":"Hug","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Electromyogr. Kinesiol."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"180","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jht.2019.12.021","article-title":"Advances in motion and EMG based wearable technology for upper extremity function rehabilitation","volume":"33","author":"Sethi","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Hand Ther."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"Crowd Supply (2025, June 22). Wallysci E3K Biosensing Platform. Available online: https:\/\/pt.mouser.com\/new\/crowd-supply\/crowd-supply-wallysci-e3k-biosensing-platform\/."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"505","DOI":"10.1080\/09593985.2017.1422206","article-title":"Shoulder and elbow range of motion for the performance of activities of daily living: A systematic review","volume":"34","author":"Oosterwijk","year":"2018","journal-title":"Phys. Theory Pract."},{"key":"ref_46","unstructured":"Esperan\u00e7a Pina, J. (2017). Anatomia da Locomo\u00e7\u00e3o, Lidel. [5th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"Santos, P., Garcia, I., Quaresma, C., and Quint\u00e3o, C. (2022, January 16\u201320). Analysis of UL Contraction Pattern Using Electromyographic Signal During Activities of Daily Living: A Pilot Study. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Informatics and Assistive Technologies for HealthCare, Medical Support and Wellbeing, Lisbon, Portugal."},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"Kapandji, I.A. (2019). The Physiology of the Joints: Volume 1: The Upper Limb, Handspring Publishing. [7th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"Freivalds, A. (2011). Biomechanics of the ULs: Mechanics, Modeling and Musculoskeletal Injuries, CRC Press."}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/25\/17\/5227\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:33:58Z","timestamp":1760034838000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/25\/17\/5227"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]]},"references-count":49,"journal-issue":{"issue":"17","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9]]}},"alternative-id":["s25175227"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s25175227","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]]}}}