In Vivo Monitoring of Orthopaedic Implant Wear Using Amorphous Ribbons

The wearing process of an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surface in orthopaedic surgical implants cannot be tracked at present; hence, implant failure only becomes apparent when the patient experiences some discomfort. In exploring the integration of wireless stress sensors into UHMWPE, this paper describes the first step in achieving in vivo monitoring of implant wear using magnetostrictive amorphous ribbons.