Diagnosis and classification of neuromuscular disorders using Bi-LSTM optimized with grey Wolf optimizer for EMG signals

Hand recognition, the process of identifying or characterizing human hands in images or video streams, plays significant role in the biometrics, robotics, computer vision, and human-computer interaction. This technology relies on analyzing hand attributes such as shape, size, color, texture, and motion to perform tasks as gesture identification, hand tracking, and sign language interpretation. In particular, hand movement decoding from electromyography (EMG) signals has shown promise for understanding neuromuscular function and aiding in diagnosis and therapy for neuromuscular issues. Existing approaches range from deep learning techniques such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) to conventional machine learning methods like Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Random Forest. Deep learning automates the process, reducing the dependency on manual feature extraction. However, the performance of these models is heavily influenced by hyperparameters such as the number of neurons, hidden layers, and learning rates. This study proposes a novel method that uses the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) to fine-tune the hyperparameters of a Bi-LSTM-based EMG classification system. Implemented in MATLAB R2021a, this approach aims to enhance the accuracy of Bi-LSTM models in categorizing EMG signals. Performance metrics such as accuracy of 95%, precision of 93%, F1-score of 94%, and recall of 91% are used for thorough evaluation. By leveraging GWO for hyperparameter optimization, the study aims to achieve more accurate diagnosis and efficient tracking of rehabilitation outcomes for patients with neuromuscular disorders. This research demonstrates the potential of integrating biomedical engineering and computational intelligence to empower individuals with neuromuscular disabilities, thereby enhancing their quality of life.