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Cartilage Knee Probe
by
Annalisa Casarotto & Shannon Pruitt
Advisor: Dr. W. M. Hammond
The cartilage knee probe is used to find the rigidity of cartilage in a
knee during surgery. This measurement allows the surgeon to ascertain concrete
data that is repeatable. Our project is to design the electronics of this
probe created under the direction of Dr. Hammond. Through a strain gage
placed on a unique transducer inside the probe, minute stress creates an
electric signal which is measured, amplified and fed to a micro-controller.
The microcontroller reads this signal and displays in on LCD's along with
the number of the test without interruption. Sixteen readings can be taken
by the doctor. Each reading consists of an average of 8 samples. The readings
are individually stored in memory for future reference and/or printouts
via a PC.
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