A framework to analyze fatigue for haptic-based tactile internet applications

Mohammad Al Jaafreh, Abdelwahab Hamam, Abdulmotaleb El-Saddik

Abstract: The realization of the Tactile Internet paradigm enables haptics on new multimedia applications, products, and services. The Haptic-based multimedia application allows users to naturally interact with the physical and virtual worlds by using several bidirectional and parallel artificial modalities. One common concern about a haptic-based application is fatigue. Undesirable muscular fatigue degrades the overall Quality of Experience (QoE) of such systems. Detecting and measuring fatigue is the first procedure in rectifying this matter. In this article, we investigate how the repetitive haptic tasks may induce an arm fatigue experience among the subjects who interact with a haptic-enabled virtual environment. More specifically, we analyze the subject's Surface Electromyogram(sEMG) signals in order to extract the power spectrum variables and features. We use the decay of the median frequency of the generated sEMG signals from flexor carpi radialis, brachioradialis, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and deltoid as an index to specify whether the users felt fatigue or not. Then, we analyze the subjective feedbacks from our volunteering subjects and link them to the results we got from the sEMG experiments. Our results reveal a significant correlation between users perceived fatigue experience and sEMG analysis.