KNEEUL – DEFI CLE : Robotique

Le projet KNEEUL

Knee Joint Unloading for Post-Surgical Cartilage Rehabilitation

KNEEUL develops a lightweight robotic knee brace driven by ground reaction forces (GRF). The project introduces a mechanically intelligent unloading architecture that preserves natural joint kinematics while reducing internal load through dynamic force redirection.

Objectifs

KNEEUL aims to redefine wearable knee robotics by focusing on mechanical architecture rather than motor-based assistance.

The objectives are:

To design a GRF-driven unloading mechanism capable of generating controlled femoral–tibial distraction without external powered actuators.
To optimize the orthosis geometry to preserve natural knee

Type de financement

Post-doctorat

Doctorante recrutée

Maowen Sun

Référents

Abderrahmane Kheddar

Mots-clés

Wearable robotics

mechanical design innovation

ground-reaction-force actuation

joint unloading mechanics

human-robot dynamics

Dates

01/03/2025 au 28/02/2026

Tutelles

CNRS

Résultats attendus

A lightweight robotic knee orthosis powered by ground reaction forces.
A validated mechanical unloading principle that reduces stress on the knee joint.
A functional prototype tested in laboratory walking conditions.

L’équipe

Maowen Sun

post-doctorant

IDH
LIRMM
Robotics

Abderrahmane Kheddar

Chercheur

IDH
LIRMM
Robotics

+ Présentation détaillée

Millions of people worldwide suffer from knee problems, including cartilage damage caused by aging, injury, or intensive physical activity. Cartilage repair surgery offers hope, but recovery is slow and delicate. After surgery, the knee joint must be protected from excessive internal pressure. If the load is too high, the healing tissue can be damaged again. As a result, rehabilitation often takes months and limits mobility.

KNEEUL proposes a new type of wearable robotic knee device designed to protect the joint during recovery. Unlike traditional knee braces that mainly stabilize or restrict movement, KNEEUL introduces an innovative mechanical principle.

The project focuses on designing and validating the mechanical architecture. Researchers analyze how forces travel through the device and how they interact with knee motion. Laboratory experiments simulate walking conditions to evaluate how effectively the system can reduce joint load without altering natural gait.

KNEEUL brings together expertise in robotics, biomechanics, and orthopaedic medicine. By combining mechanical design and human movement analysis, the project aims to create a new generation of intelligent rehabilitation wearables.

+ Références du projet

en préparation

+ Références – état de l’art

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/osteoarthritis

S. Safiri et al., Global, regional and national burden of osteoarthritis 1990-2017: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Annals of the rheumatic diseases 79, 819-828 (2020).

G. Filardo, F. Perdisa, A. Roffi, M. Marcacci, E. Kon, Stem cells in articular cartilage regeneration. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research 11, 42 (2016).

S. Z. Nawaz et al., Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in the Knee: Mid-Term to Long-Term Results. JBJS 96, (2014).
R. Budarick, B. E. MacKeil, S. Fitzgerald, C. D. Cowper-Smith, Design Evaluation of a Novel Multicompartment Unloader Knee Brace. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 142, (2019).

M. Sun et al., Lightweight Electrohydrostatic Actuator Drive Solution for Exoskeleton Robots. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 27, 4631-4642 (2022).

C. Zhu, J. Yi, Knee Exoskeleton-Enabled Balance Control of Human Walking Gait With Unexpected Foot Slip. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 8, 7751-7758 (2023).

B. Lineham, P. Harwood, H. G. Pandit, in Surgical Management of Knee Arthritis: Advances in Technique and Technology, A. J. Deshmukh, B. H. Shabani, W. Waldstein, J. K. Oni, Eds. (Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2023), pp. 261-277.

M. J. Dreyer et al., European Society of Biomechanics S.M. Perren Award 2022: Standardized tibio-femoral implant loads and kinematics. Journal of Biomechanics 141, 111171 (2022).

Y. Yan, A. Zermane, J. Pan, A. Kheddar, A soft skin with self-decoupled three-axis force-sensing taxels. Nature Machine Intelligence 6, 1284-1295 (2024).

Arnold, James, et al. « Personalized ML-based wearable robot control improves impaired arm function. » Nature Communications 16.1 (2025): 7091.