Medical engineering & physics
-
Bone sawing simulators with force feedback represent a cost effective means of training orthopedic surgeons in various surgical procedures, such as total knee arthroplasty. To develop a machine with accurate haptic feedback, giving a sensation of both cutting force and rate of material removal, algorithms are required to forecast bone sawing forces based on user input. Presently, studies on forces generated while machining bone are not representative of the high cutting speeds and low depths of cut common to the bone sawing process. ⋯ The increase in thrust force with depth of cut was relatively linear, R(2)=0.80. Using a two factor, two level design of experiments approach, regression equations were developed to relate sawing forces to changes in blade speed and depth of cut. These equations can be used to predict forces in a haptic feedback model.