A number of issues that exist in common fracture reduction surgeries can be mitigated by robot-assisted fracture reduction. However, the safety of patients and the performance of the robot, which are closely related to the muscle forces, are important indexes that restrict the development of robots. Though researchers have done a great deal of work on the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system, the dynamics of the musculoskeletal system, particularly the aspects related to the function of the robot, is not well understood. For this reason, we represent the complex biological system by establishing a dynamic biomechanical model based on the Hill muscle model and the Kane method for the robot that we have developed and the musculoskeletal system. We analyzed the relationship between the motion and force of the bone fragments and the robot during a simulation of a robot-assisted fracture reduction. The influence of the muscle force on the robot system was predicted and managed. The simulation results provide a basis for a fracture reduction path plan that ensures patient safety and a useful reference for the mechanical design of the robot.
Keywords: Robot-assisted diaphyseal fracture reduction; biomechanical model; musculoskeletal system; simulation analysis.