University of Cincinnati - College of Engineering

KUKA Rocks! Biomedical Engineering Dedicates Industrial Robot

	The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati (UCBME) celebrated dedication ceremonies for KUKA, a 2700-pound industrial robot, at 1:00 p.m., June 10, 2004. Purchased with matching funds through the Ohio Board of Regents and the University of Cincinnati, KUKA will enable the UCBME to advance ongoing research in biomechanics and tissue engineering at UC.
Roboticist Denis Bailey (right) explains the intricacies of KUKA's operation to Dr. William S. Ball, Jr., Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (left).

"Its arrival in March heralds an all new 'first of its kind' process for motion reproduction, essential to the research in biomechanics and tissue engineering," says Dr. William Ball, Jr., Head of UCBME. Its installation will even further enhance the instrumentation capabilities within the newly created Noyes Tissue Engineering and Biomechanics Laboratories within UCBME. Dr. Frank Noyes, Chairman of Cincinnati Sportsmedicine and Orthopaedic Center, a nationally recognized center of excellence, strongly supported the need for this sophisticated equipment. Says Dr. Noyes of the new addition: "There are a multitude of orthopaedic disorders of the knee and shoulder joint, and other joints as well, that cause patients pain and functional limitations that can be studied, to better improve our diagnosis and treatment plans. In some specific cases our surgical treatment of joint problems will be improved by the ability to simulate the effect of surgical joint reconstructions in a laboratory setting."

Dr. Noyes added that he is extraordinarily pleased with the decision of Dr. William Ball, and faculty, to pursue this important avenue of biomedical research. Says Dr. Noyes, "Only a handful of biomedical centers in the world will have the sophisticated equipment for this type of biomedical research which will have a positive impact on faculty, students, and granting agencies for future research support."

"The KR210 robot will be used to try and accurately reproduce knee and shoulder joint motions so as to estimate actual ligament, meniscus, and cartilage loads and deformations in vivo (in life). Although this industrial robot is capable of manipulating 450 pounds of equipment, we are utilizing its accuracy as well as its strength" says Dr. David Butler, a national leader in biomechanics research and a pioneer in the developing field of functional tissue engineering. Fine ultrasound crystals, which will initially record the joint motions, will be used to train the robot to replicate these motion patterns. Force and pressure sensors will then be used in the laboratory to capture tissue forces and deformations. "This data will provide mechanical parameters that surgeons, biologists, and engineers can use in designing novel, new treatment methods such as tissue engineered ligaments, tendons, menisci, and cartilage. Total joint replacements can also be better designed. The in vivo loads and deformations of these tissue structures are not currently known but are so important to developing more effective repair and reconstruction strategies after soft tissue injury," says Butler. All of this translates into a highly sophisticated system capable of advanced study of human joint motion and stress, which will eventually lead to a better understanding of human joint disease and disorders and more successful and long term management.

KUKA