A Novel Testing Platform for Assessing Knee Joint Mechanics: A Parallel Robotic System Combined with an Instrumented Spatial Linkage

Assessing joint function following trauma and its inter-relation with degenerative changes requires an understanding of the normal state of structural loading in the joint. Very few studies have attempted to reproduce joint specific in vivo motions in vitro to quantify the actual loads carried by different tissues within the knee joint. The most significant challenge in this area is the very high sensitivity of the loads in joint structures to motion reproduction accuracy. A novel testing platform for assessing knee joint mechanics is described, comprised of a highly accurate (0.3 ± 0.1 mm, 0.3 ± 0.1°) six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) instrumented spatial linkage (ISL) for in vivo joint kinematic assessments and a unique 6-DOF parallel robotic manipulator. A position feedback system (ISL and position controller) is used for accurate reproduction of in vivo joint motions and estimation of “in situ” joint/tissue loads. The parallel robotic manipulator provides excellent stiffness and repeatability in reproducing physiological motions in 6-DOF, compared to the commonly used serial robots. The position feedback system provides real-time feedback data to the robot to reproduce in vivo motions and significantly enhances motion reproduction accuracy by adjusting for robot end-effector movements. Using this combined robot-ISL system, in vivo motions can be reproduced in vitro with very high accuracy (0.1 mm, 0.1°). Our results indicate that this level of accuracy is essential for meaningful estimation of tissue loads during gait. Using this novel testing platform, we have determined the normal load-carrying characteristics of different tissues within the ovine knee joint. The application of this testing system will continue to increase our understanding of normal and pathological joint states.