S.M.A.R.T. KneeMotionAI™
Motion-informed intelligence for personalised knee replacement.
S.M.A.R.T. KneeMotionAI™ is a strategic AI innovation programme developed and led by MSK Doctors & Associates, focused on bringing real-world knee motion intelligence into knee replacement planning.
The programme was formally submitted to the Innovate UK Smart Grants (April 2024 competition), and development continues as part of our active innovation pipeline.
The Unmet Need
Robotic precision, applied to incomplete information.
1 in 5
Knee replacement is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures worldwide, yet around one in five patients remain dissatisfied following surgery.
Planning from static imaging
Surgical planning relies on static imaging — X-ray and CT.
Alignment without movement
Alignment decisions are made without understanding how the knee moves in real life.
Precision on incomplete data
Robotic precision is applied to incomplete information.
This disconnect between structure and function contributes to pain, instability, and revision surgery. S.M.A.R.T. KneeMotionAI™ was conceived to address this gap.
About the Programme
From validated motion analysis to pre-operative surgical intelligence.
The programme builds on the clinically validated MAI Motion and extends it into pre-operative surgical intelligence.
Capture dynamic 3D knee movement
Using standard cameras, without markers or specialist laboratory hardware.
Extract interpretable motion biomarkers
Turning raw movement into measures a clinical team can read and reason with.
Classify real-life knee behaviour patterns
Describing how an individual knee actually behaves rather than how it appears at rest.
Inform alignment and implant strategy
Supporting motion-informed personalisation using functional data.
Rather than planning surgery around static anatomy alone, the goal is to support motion-informed personalisation.
A Shift in Surgical Thinking
Introducing Real-Life
Kinematic (RLK) insight.
Moves Beyond
- Mechanical alignment
- Kinematic alignment
- Restricted kinematic alignment
by introducing Real-Life Kinematic (RLK) insight — using dynamic motion data rather than ligament tension or static scans alone.
Designed to Better Reflect
- Pre-arthritic knee behaviour
- Functional asymmetry
- Stability under load
- Whole-body compensation patterns
In doing so, it reframes knee replacement planning as a functional intelligence problem, not just a geometric one.
Recognition Through Competitive Review
Scored highly across innovation, impact and value for money.
Clinical need and innovation
Strong endorsement of the clinical need the programme addresses and of its innovation.
Technical feasibility and ambition
Positive feedback on technical feasibility and on the ambition of the proposal.
Track record in AI-enabled MSK innovation
Recognition of MSK Doctors’ record in delivering AI-enabled musculoskeletal innovation.
As part of the Innovate UK Smart Grants process, the application scored highly across innovation, impact, and value-for-money domains, reinforcing the programme’s strategic validity.
Why Development Continues
Not all innovation aligns perfectly with funding cycles.
S.M.A.R.T. KneeMotionAI™ represents a long-horizon capability, integrating AI and computer vision, biomechanics, surgical planning, and regenerative, personalised care.
Work continues to refine
- Motion biomarker frameworks
- Clinical interpretability
- Integration with surgical workflows
- Regulatory and commercial pathways
The programme remains central to our vision of movement-first orthopaedics.
Strategic Importance
At the intersection of four disciplines.
Surgery
AI
Digital Health
Functional Biomechanics
It builds directly on
- Published MAI Motion validation studies
- Prior Innovate UK-funded programmes
- In-house imaging, motion, and surgical infrastructure
and informs future generations of AI-enabled surgical decision support.
Positioning
S.M.A.R.T. KneeMotionAI™ is a strategic AI innovation programme developed by MSK Doctors, formally submitted through Innovate UK Smart Grants and continuing to evolve within our active innovation pipeline.
Academic & Clinical Collaboration
We are actively seeking strategic partners and academic consortiums to accelerate these programmes towards clinical reality.