A new position measurement system for micromeasurements in orthopaedics

This paper describes both a legacy position measurement system and a new position measurement system developed for use in making accurate position measurements on the order of 1 μm (micromeasurements) specifically related to the evaluation of orthopaedic implants during simulated use. Commercially available components including an off the shelf position sensor and off the shelf data acquisition hardware are integrated with a signal conditioner designed around off the shelf components, and custom written software in the new measurement system. This new system exhibits marked improvements in cost, accuracy, range and ruggedness over the legacy measurement system used for the same purpose, and has been adopted for the evaluation of orthopaedic implants.