Design of a Bone Transport Device Using Smart Material Actuators

Abstract

The ultimate goal of our research is to develop a wireless, remotely activated, and implantable bone transport (lengthening) device. Our device is subcutaneously mounted on the periosteal surface of the tibia. Smart materials such as temperature-driven nitinol and magnetostrictive terfenol-D were investigated to be used as actuators to provide the required forces for the bone transport process. It was found that an actuator based on terfenol-D with a magnetic field applied transversely (along the material’s magnetic moment) was the more appropriate technology. Design concepts and proof-of-concept work of both smart material technologies are presented.