University of Bristol mechanical engineering PhD student Daniel Raabe developed the robot to mimic the action of the human jaw in collaboration with Researchers from both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Oral and Dental Science.
The concept was drawn from aircraft simulators, which use similar movements.
Mr Raabe explains: ‘By reproducing natural bite forces and movements, the chewing robot can help improve and accelerate the process of developing new dental restorative materials that may someday be found in a person’s mouth.’
Approximately £2.5 billion each year is spent in the UK on dental materials to replace or strengthen teeth; and the advancement in crown and bridge design can be costly to test on human subjects. The robot allows generation of wear formation on single dental elements by replicating human jaw movements.
The invention known as “the chewing robot” was displayed at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in July in the Royal Society in London.
For more information, visit www.bristol.ac.uk
By Sam Jethwa (GKT)
