A Motion Transducer for Use in the Intact In-Vitro Human Lumbar Spine

Abstract

An electromechanical transducer was developed to enable measurement of the general six degree-of-freedom relative motion between lumbar vertebrae of the in-vitro human spine. The transducer system is to be used in the evaluation of various spinal fixation devices in studies of fracture dislocated spines. Preliminary testing of the system has shown it to be an accurate and general means of measuring relative spatial motion between two bodies over a limited range.