Using Quake Detection To Spot Bone Breaks

摘要

In horse racing, broken bones often end in heartbreak. Over the past two years, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and second-place finisher Eight Belles both had to be euthanized because of rac -ing-related fractures. Purdue University engineers are developing a monitoring system that may prevent such tragedies by sensing micro-cracks in the bones. It's based on the same technology used to detect earthquakes.rnThe tiny cracks, about a tenth of a millimeter wide, cannot be spotted by conventional imaging technologies but can lead to fractures if the horse continues to place weight on the bone.