Development of a method for robotic reproduction of in-vivo joint motion

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease which has been shown frequently to follow injury of the connective tissues of the knee. In order to restore the mechanical function of the joint following such injury, a more complete understanding of joint mechanics is necessary. In this study, a system was developed for the measurement of in-vitro joint and structure loads during robotic application of in-vivo kinematics to the ovine stifle joint. In-vivo kinematics of 3 animals were measured, following which kinematics were re-applied in-vitro using a parallel manipulator. Resulting joint and structure loads were measured, and the sensitivity of these load measurements to kinematic perturbations determined. The development of this method demonstrated the importance of spatial positioning in obtaining valid load measurements. Future directions involve improvement of spatial accuracy, following which the system is expected to provide a useful tool for the estimation of in-vivo joint and structure loading.