Understanding the meniscus's natural damping mechanisms provides valuable insights for designing biomimetic systems, such as artificial joint replacements or soft robotic components. Engineers can develop advanced materials and devices that effectively dissipate energy by imitating the meniscus's hierarchical structure and fluid-guiding channels.
The figure above illustrates how researchers utilized high-resolution 3D micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans to capture the meniscus's internal structure. They then applied Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) coupled with image analysis (CFD-IA) to simulate fluid flow within the tissue. This approach allowed them to see how architectural features like tortuosity, porosity, and channel diameter influence fluid dynamics.
How the tests were done:
