Customized Care: Using Altair HyperWorks™ for Biomechanics Simulation in Orthopedics
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Wearables - Implants
Applicable Industries
- Equipment & Machinery
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Digital Twin
- Virtual Reality
About The Customer
Philomec is a Canadian start-up company that specializes in mechanical engineering services. They provide design, CAD and simulation services applicable to several industries. Their main focus is on helping companies design and optimize their products using mechanical and biomechanical FEM simulation. They bring together research engineers with expertise in world-class biomechanical simulation. Philomec has developed a series of human osteoarticular validated models used to decrease cost and accelerate design of orthopedic implant. Their creation of customized, validated biomechanical models, and the analysis of simulation results by experts allows surgeons to choose the model of an implant and adapt surgical maneuvers to a specific patient.
The Challenge
The medical industry, particularly the orthopedics sector, faces a significant challenge in validating biomechanical models due to the complexity of materials, scarcity of experimental data, and the lack of representation of variability. These models are crucial in understanding and predicting deformities and fracture risks of biological tissue when subjected to external forces. The challenge is further compounded by the multifactorial nature of the studied phenomena, which include biological and chemical parameters that influence the mechanical behavior. The need for personalized medicine, especially in orthopedic surgeries, adds another layer of complexity, as it requires bone implants with shape and characteristics personalized to each patient.
The Solution
Philomec, a Canadian start-up company, has developed a solution to this challenge by using Altair HyperWorks for explicit Multiphysics simulation of musculoskeletal models. This approach allows for the creation of customized, validated biomechanical models, and the analysis of simulation results by experts. This enables surgeons to choose the model of an implant and adapt surgical maneuvers to a specific patient, thus reducing the number of implants used, as well as the risk of complications. Implant designers can also optimize the geometry of their products faster and more economically than with conventional design techniques. The company's expertise in simulation differentiates them, as a majority of consulting companies offer only implicit FEM simulation. Altair’s hands-on, customizable, and highly versatile tools are what they need to tackle complex and specific problems of this nature.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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