Measuring Soft Tissue Properties Using Digital Image Correlation and Finite Element Modelling

Abstract

An understanding of the mechanical properties of skin and other soft tissues is valuable for many applications, for example in planning surgical procedures or in designing equipment that must interface with the body such as orthopaedic implants, seating or razors. Similarly, the ability to characterise the properties of soft tissues is valuable in many areas of medicine and biology, for example in evaluating the effects of drug treatments or the progression of a disease. However, the properties of soft tissues, and particularly those of skin, are complex and not amenable to conventional engineering analysis. The properties are highly dependent on the environment and should ideally be measured in situ in a living subject. Because of these two problems, conventional test methods are rarely appropriate or adequate in testing soft tissues, and new techniques are required.