A knee simulator performs a wear test on a set of knee implants. Equipped with Virtual Soft Tissue, these wear testing machines help implant manufacturers and researchers evaluate the performance and durability of new implant designs.

Ever wonder how a new prosthetic design will work once implanted? You probably know that a joint simulator is used in this situation. But the next step is using a new technology--a programmable computer model--that considers the missing biological structure of the knee during the testing. Called Virtual Soft Tissue, this technology has been developed by Advanced Mechanical Technology Inc. (AMTI), and could paint a more holistic picture for researchers when gathering information about implant performance.

"We've created something that allows an implant to react the way it would as an integrated part of the knee," said Bruce White, CEO of AMTI, in a press release. "Engineering replacement parts for the strongest joint in the human body is challenging--it may be just as challenging to design testing that accurately shows that the parts are safe and durable enough to be implanted."For fully realistic simulation, you need an accurate constraint model, information about the way the soft tissues surrounding the knee joint would respond to the joint's motion."

Featured Imagef: