accepted for publication – EMBC 2014

The paper I submitted to EMBC 2014 has been accepted for publication! During my PhD thesis I’ve conceived a miniaturised actuation system to be embedded in the tibial component of an instrumented knee prosthesis for the evaluation and correction of collateral ligaments imbalance conditions in the postoperative period. A second model, feasible but bulkier, is considered as an alternative solution and is presented in this other publication. The sections Publications and Curriculum Vitae are now up-to-date.

Title: A Miniaturised Actuation System Embedded in an Instrumented Knee Implant for Postoperative Ligament Imbalance Correction

Authors: A. Collo, P. Poignet, C. Hamitouche, S. Almouahed, and E. Stindel

Abstract: During Total Knee Arthroplasty surgery, the orthopaedic surgeon has to set up proper balance conditions for the two lateral ligaments of the knee. Such ligament tensioning procedure is performed manually and mainly depends on the surgeon’s experience. Unfortunately, inaccuracies are unavoidable and may give rise to serious postoperative complications. In the worst-case scenario, the only solution to this problem is represented by revision surgery. In order to cope with this problem, this work proposes a novel instrumented tibial component able to detect knee imbalance conditions in the postoperative period. A miniaturised actuation system embedded in the tibial baseplate allows to restore optimal balance conditions without resorting to revision surgery.

accepted for publication – Biorob 2014

A bit later than expected 🙂 but the good news has arrived: the paper I submitted to Biorob 2014 has been accepted for publication! This work presents one of the two miniaturised actuation systems for an instrumented knee implant that I’ve conceived in the framework of my PhD thesis. The second model is described in another paper that is currently under review.

Title: An Active Tibial Component for Postoperative Fine-Tuning Adjustment of Knee Ligament Imbalance

Authors: A. Collo, P. Poignet, C. Hamitouche, S. Almouahed, and E. Stindel

Abstract: Ligament tensioning is a key step in Total Knee Arthroplasty surgery. The surgeon has to manually set proper tension conditions for the two lateral ligaments of the knee. Inaccuracies may lead to severe postoperative complications and, in the worst-case scenario, to revision surgery. Unfortunately, suboptimal balance conditions are unavoidable and no assistance tool has been developed up to now to help the surgeon during the surgery. The goal of this work is to propose an instrumented tibial component able to evaluate ligament balance conditions after surgery and to monitor their evolution in the postoperative period. Thanks to an embedded actuation system, optimal ligament tension values can be restored so as to improve the prosthesis lifespan and avoid the need for revision surgery.

IROS 2014

The 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014) will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, September 14–18, 2014. The conference will join experts in the field of robotics and automation for technical communications through presentations and discussions. The conference will create a remarkable environment for attendees to explore the frontier of science and technology in robotics and automation. The IROS 2014 edition will last for five days, consisting of two days of workshops/tutorials, three days of technical presentations with plenary talks, exhibitions, technical and non-technical tours, attractive social events,  as well as Robotics & Automation Society meetings.

The venue for IROS 2014 is the historic Palmer House Hilton, close by Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, the Museum Campus, and other Chicago attractions.

Every accepted paper at IROS 2014 will be allocated both a short oral presentation and an interactive presentation, maximizing exposure and opportunities for interaction with colleagues.

News and Important Dates

• Jul 30, 2013 : Call for Papers
• Nov 21, 2013 : Call for Sponsors and Exhibitors
• Jan 12, 2014 : Call for Workshops and Tutorials
• Feb 5, 2014 : Deadline for papers, workshops and tutorial proposals
• Mar 21, 2014 : Notification of acceptance of workshops and tutorials
• May 21, 2014 : Notification of acceptance of papers
• Jun 21, 2014 : Final submission of papers

BIODEVICES 2013 : check!

BIODEVICES is part of BIOSTEC, the International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies. The purpose of the International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices is to bring together researchers and practitioners from electronics and mechanical engineering, interested in studying and using models, equipments and materials inspired from biological systems and/or addressing biological requirements. Monitoring devices, instrumentation sensors and systems, biorobotics, micro-nanotechnologies and biomaterials are some of the technologies addressed at this conference.

I’m here (in Barcelona) to present my paper! The conference atmosphere is nice and the presentations are really interesting. I especially like the possibility of having some good exchanges with others researchers working in the same fields of study 🙂

accepted for publication

Title:

Towards a Dynamic Tibial Component for Postoperative Fine-tuning Adjustment of Knee Ligament Imbalance

Authors:

Andrea Collo, Shaban Almouahed, Chafiaa Hamitouche, Philippe Poignet, Eric Stindel

Accepted for Publication at:

BIODEVICES 2013 – 6th International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices (conference official website)