Isi-Care EMG Cuff Unveiled at the 2026 SME Innovation Day

iSi-Care at the 2026 SME Innovation Day in Berlin

The 2026 SME Innovation Day, held on June 11 at the outdoor grounds of AiF Projekt GmbH in Berlin-Pankow, brought technological innovation to life. Around 300 exhibitors presented forward-looking research and development projects and demonstrated the wide range of application-oriented innovations that can emerge from collaboration between companies and research institutions.

Also in attendance was the IGF project iSi-Care, a joint project between FILK Freiberg Institute gGmbH and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at TU Dresden. Andreas Heinke (IBMT) and Dr. Martin Heise (FILK) presented the project and provided insights into the development of the 3D printing process and the signal-processing AI for the EMG cuff, which is designed to support the diagnosis of acute joint injuries.

At its core, iSi-Care aims to significantly simplify the measurement of electrical muscle activity—electromyography—which is of great interest in medical diagnostics but is currently very labor-intensive, for clinical use. The key innovation is a freely scalable, highly stretchable electrode array capable of capturing neuromuscular activity patterns across a large area of the muscles surrounding the joint. Based on electromyographic signals, this will enable a more objective assessment of functional abnormalities, compensatory patterns, or differences in muscle activation. The goal is to establish a technological foundation for diagnostic assistance systems that can be used, in particular, for acute knee injuries, in rehabilitation, or for monitoring progress in physical therapy.

A particular focus of the project was on the integration of flexible materials, wearable electronics, and AI-based signal analysis. As part of the work, the team investigated, among other things, conductive silicone materials for stretchable EMG electrodes, derived realistic strain requirements for the knee, developed test benches for the reproducible characterization of flexible electrodes, and implemented initial AI pipelines for the automated evaluation of EMG signals. In this way, iSi-Care delivers results for concrete medical applications and, beyond that, provides a technological toolkit for SMEs in the fields of medical technology, sensor technology, functional materials, wearables, and smart textile technology.

The main attraction at the booth was the live demonstration of the EMG cuff. Thanks to the kind support of Schubert & Braun Prothesenwerk GmbH, an impressively realistic arm prosthesis was available to vividly demonstrate how the cuff is used. At times, the prosthesis looked almost eerily real and quickly piqued the curiosity of many visitors. Throughout the day, the live measurement demonstrated that the functionalized carbon-silicone electrode surfaces achieve the best signal quality without any electrolyte gel.

The many conversations at the booth left a particularly lasting impression. Visitors from various industries were interested in how printed, highly flexible electronics could be used to measure electrical phenomena in their respective fields of application. Topics of discussion included, among others, measuring muscular activity during nighttime teeth grinding, capturing control signals for arm and leg prostheses, applications of electrostimulation, and the integration of additional pressure sensors.

This is precisely why the SME Innovation Day was a valuable opportunity for the project team to raise the profile of their research beyond their own professional community. The direct exchange with companies, research partners, project management agencies, and representatives from ministries and the political sphere demonstrated the impact that funded research can have when it is designed with practical applications in mind and discussed with potential users at an early stage.

The iSi-Care team would like to thank the DLR Project Management Agency and AiF Projekt GmbH for their kind invitation, which provided the opportunity to present project results to a wider audience, gain new insights, and identify potential areas for future technology transfer projects.

The IGF research project 22708 BR “iSi-Care” of the research association “FILK Freiberg Institute gGmbH, Meißner Ring 1–5, 09599 Freiberg” was funded via the AiF within the programme for the promotion of “Industrial Collective Research and Development (IGF)” by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag. We gratefully acknowledge the support provided.