Lambda Fixator: A Novel Robotic System in Orthopedics

Abstract

External fixators are robotic structures commonly utilized in area of orthopedics. However, there are some limitations of the traditional fixators such as risk of encountering a singular position and bone fragments being blocked by the rods of the system in the x-ray images. In this work, a novel external fixator system addressing the issues related with the traditional fixators is introduced. The proposed system is named as λ-fixator because of the connecting elements resembling the Greek letter λ. Inverse kinematics and direct kinematics of the proposed system are explained. Besides, various connection possibilities allowing a flexible usage opportunity are presented. The validation of the system has been performed via four experiments each of which contains a manufactured physical model, computer simulation, and independent software models.