When articular cartilage is damaged, surgical intervention is often necessary to restore joint function and prevent further degeneration. Following the removal of damaged tissue, surgeons must carefully prepare the recipient surface before implanting new cartilage. Among the available treatment options, Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) remains the preferred approach, as it uses the patient’s own cells and offers superior long-term outcomes compared with artificial implants. However, the success of ACI critically depends on the quality and precision of the recipient cartilage bed preparation.

Yukiko Tomooka’s project aims to improve this crucial surgical step by assisting current manual preparation techniques with a robotic, laser-based solution capable of delivering highly precise and reproducible cartilage bed preparation. Building on the achievements of the MIRACLE project, which led to the development of a miniature robot for minimally invasive laser bone cutting, her work seeks to extend the technology to cartilage surgery.

For the first time, a high-power fiber-optic laser will be integrated into a miniature robot designed to operate within the confined environment of the human knee joint. By precisely positioning and orienting itself, the robot will perform targeted cartilage ablation while navigating the natural anatomy of the joint. 

Ultimately, this technology has the potential to establish new standard for cartilage repair, enabling predictable, robust, and minimally invasive procedures that promote reliable tissue integration and improve long-term patient outcomes.