This paper presents an experimental investigation upon the wear characteristics of a novel bearing system proposed for the artificial knee joints. Such bearing system is original in the meaning that micro-pockets are machined on surface of the rigid femoral component; a poro-elastic-hydrated layer, called artificial cartilage, covers the rigid tibial substrate. Under compression, the fluid exudes from the artificial cartilage, fills and pressurizes the micro-pockets. In this way, a poro-elasto-hydrodynamic regime of lubrication is developed. Wear tests are performed with different types of artificial cartilages made in PVA hydrogel, articulating against smooth and micro-pocket-covered femoral components. Influence of the number of walking cycles, femoral porosity, depth of the micro-pockets, water content and polymerization degree of the PVA hydrogel upon its wear factor is illustrated. For wear tests performed until 10⁶ walking cycles, in the case of PVA hydrogel with 12300 polymerization degree and 77% water content versus smooth component, the wear factor is on order of 10^-6-10^-5mm³/Nm; for the same artificial cartilage against a femoral component uniformly covered by identical micro-pockets of 50µm depth, on 15% of its surface, the wear factor drops in the range 10^-7-10^-6mm³/Nm, i. e., the wear factor reduces with 80%. The highest wear reduction due to the micro-pockets presence is obtained in the case of PVA hydrogel with 77% water content, i. e., for a fluid amount similar to that of the natural cartilage.