Project Traiknee - Interview

Quick Overview

PhD student Marco Moran Ledesma developed an artificial training leg model named Trai-knee, in collaboration with supervisors from Systems Design Engineering and Management Sciences, and Robert Burns from Kinesiology and Health Sciences, to allow students to safely practice physical assessments for knee ligament injuries like the MCL without risking harm to healthy peers or actual patients.

Key Points: The project, named Trai-knee, is an artificial training leg model designed to simulate knee ligament injuries, specifically the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). Marco Moran Ledesma is a PhD student at the University of Waterloo, part of the Touch Lab and Haptic Experience Lab. The project supervisors include Mark Hancock and Oliver Schneider from Management Sciences, and collaborator Robert Burns from the Kinesiology and Health Sciences department. The simulator allows users to conduct physical tests designed to recognize injury conditions (like multiple levels of laxity on the medial side) safely, addressing the risk of harming healthy peers who are typically used for practice. Key design requirements included realistic size, the ability to reproduce MCL injuries (Grade 2 laxity demonstrated), and tactile feedback simulating a real leg covered in silicone-based skin. The tool is designed to be portable and operable with just a computer, making it accessible beyond the research lab for use in academic curricula, health sciences programs, or med school. The creator expressed a strong sense of accomplishment and a desire to serve others through this educational tool.

Context: Marco Moran Ledesma, a PhD student at the University of Waterloo's Systems Design Engineering department and member of the Touch Lab/Haptic Experience Lab, discusses the development of his project, an artificial training leg model named Trai-knee. This device addresses the critical educational gap where students, who are not yet experts, must practice physical assessments for knee injuries like MCL tears, traditionally relying on practicing on healthy peers, which carries inherent risks and liability issues.