Engineering of the Neuromuscular System at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. The first seven years

The activities of the Laboratory for Engineering of the Neuromuscular System (LISiN) at Politecnico di Torino concern the study of the Neuromuscular System mainly through the analysis of surface EMG signals generated by voluntary or electrically elicited muscle contractions. In this field LISiN has established collaborations with the Universities of Tor Vergata and La Sapienza in Rome, the San Raffaele Institute in Milano, the University of New Brunswick in Canada, of Queensland in Australia, of Catalunya in Spain, of Aalborg in Denmark, of Nice and Nantes in France, of Maribor in Slovenia, of Aachen and Tubingen in Germany.

LISiN is the Coordinator of the European RTD project Neuromuscular assessment in the Elderly Worker (NEW) and partner of project On ASymmetry In Sphincters (OASIS). LISiN is also the Coordinator of Microgravity effects on human skeletal muscle function investigated by surface EMG and mechanomyogram a project supported by the European and the Italian Space Agencies and is partner of the ESA Project Resistance training using flywheel technology.

Its mission is: a) to promote aggregation and convergence of research activities of European academic and clinical researchers in the field of Neuromuscular Engineering, b) to promote dissemination of knowledge and develop methodological standards by means of courses, seminars and integrated research and teaching activities and, c) the promotion of technology transfer to clinical institutions and small companies.

In the first seven years of activity the ten LISiN researchers organized a dozen courses for health personnel, wrote most of the textbook Electromyography: Physiology, Engineering and Non-invasive Applications (IEEE Press and J. Wiley, July 2004), published seventy papers in international journals, a chapter in Biomedical Technology and Devices and one in Muscle Strength, both published by CRC Press.

The main devices developed by LISiN are: a) a modular system for measurement of isometric joint torque at the elbow, knee, wrist and ankle, b) a multichannel system for acquisition and processing of surface EMG and MMG in static and dynamic conditions, c) electrode arrays for acquisition of EMG from skeletal and pelvic floor muscles, d) a multichannel programmable stimulator, e) mathematical models for generation of EMG signals suitable for teaching and research purposes and for testing algorithms, f) a multimedia teaching tool, in English and Italian, for teaching surface EMG techniques. LISiN offers interesting opportunities for visiting scientists and researchers to carry out interdisciplinary research in an international environment in the fields of electromyography, occupational, rehabilitation and sport sciences. It also cooperates with a few small and medium enterprises for patenting, manufacturing and commercialization of its products.

At this time LISiN's staff comprises two post-doc, four Ph.D. candidates, four other researchers, all with temporary contracts, three foreign visitors and ten graduating students working on their thesis. In seven years no researcher trained at LISiN has been hired by Politecnico di Torino. Researchers trained at LISiN are working, with permanent positions, in Denmark, England and the USA. The Italian criteria for academic promotion limit the weight of scientific productivity in favor of other capabilities of the candidates. However, the Politecnico and the University of Torino are planning for the tenured recognition of highly productive scientific staff of the Laboratory for Engineering of the Neuromuscular System.

The research projects carried out at LISiN are described in the publications and in the annual reports that are available at no charge from Prof. R. Merletti (Dept. of Electronics, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy, fax. +39-011-4330404. Most material is available from the WEB site www.lisin.polito.it.

Roberto Merletti, Ph.D., Director, roberto.merletti@polito.it, www.lisin.polito.it.