Abstract
A novel indentation technique which can probe the mechanical properties 0f bone tissues in vivo is introduced in this paper. The reference point indentation (RPI) instrument consists of a reference probe and a testing probe. By inserting the probes through the skin onto tibia bone, various mechanical properties such as hardness, elastic modulus, maximum indentation distance, indentation distance increase (IDI) can be measured non-invasively. The results showed that IDI were significantly higher in patients who suffered from bone fracture than in controls and can be used to evaluate fracture risk. The technique has a great potential in the medical field and can provide better understanding of the in vivo mechanical properties of bone tissues.