LAROCARE

For hundreds of years, damage to the smooth tissue in our knee joints, called articular cartilage, was considered unrepairable. Because of this, people with insufferable knee pain often had to get part or all of their knee replaced. Only recently, researchers discovered that cells from the articular cartilage can be encouraged to grow in a lab. These cells can then be placed back into damaged areas, allowing the cartilage to regrow and heal. Our project aims to make this technique more successful by using a tiny robot with a laser to precisely remove damaged tissue. This approach is less invasive and should help reduce the chances of failure.