• Full-Time Programs
• Continuing Studies and Outreach Programs
• All Academic Programs
• Academic Departments
  • Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management
  • Rader School of Business
  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    • B.S. in Biomedical Engineering
      • What is Biomedical Engineering?
      • Is BE Right for Me?
      • Program Electives
      • Objectives and Outcomes
      • Get the Classes you Need
      • Senior Design Projects
      • BE Alumni Profiles
      • B.E. Organizations and Societies
    • B.S. in Computer Engineering
    • B.S. in Electrical Engineering
    • B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology
    • B.S. in Software Engineering
    • M.S. in Engineering
    • M.S. in Perfusion
    • Program Requirements
    • Department Faculty
  • General Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • School of Nursing
  • Physics and Chemistry
• Outstanding Facilities
• Academic Minors
• Study Abroad
• Research Centers
• Student Projects
• Other Academic Resources
• MSOE's Accreditations
• The MSOE Guarantee

Biomedical engineering starts with a solid foundation in engineering. The modifying word, whether it be biomedical, electrical, computer or mechanical, simply means what type of engineering this person is especially skilled and experienced in performing. Engineering education teaches the student how to use scientific theories from mathematics, physics, chemistry and social sciences to design products and services that meet the needs of society. The biomedical engineer uses knowledge of the life sciences and distinctively satisfies society's needs in the improvement of societal health and health care.

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineers are engineers who add knowledge from the life sciences to the practice of their profession. Biomedical engineers need to have a solid education in engineering and a working knowledge of biology, physiology and medicine.

Biomedical engineering is defined as the application of engineering principles to understand, modify or control living systems such as the human body. Biomedical engineers use scientific theories to design products to improve health care. They use engineering principles to gain a greater understanding of human health needs. They also use current scientific knowledge to analyze disease processes and develop products and/or techniques to treat medical conditions.

Six Major Areas within Biomedical Engineering

• Medical Instrumentation
• Biomaterials
• System Physiology and Modeling
• Biosignal Processing
• Medical Imaging
• Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Engineering

Medical Instrumentation:

Medical instrumentation is the application of electronics and measurement techniques to develop devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Computers are an important and increasingly essential part of medical instrumentation, from the microprocessor in a single-purpose instrument to the microcomputer needed to process the large amount of information in a medical imaging system.

Examples of medical instrumentation include: heart monitors, microelectrodes, defibrillators and glucose monitoring machines.

Biomaterials:

	Elastomer-based devices, like these tracheal tubes, are assembled using various combinations of adhesives and special materials.

Biomaterials is the use of materials, both living tissue and artificial materials, for implantation. Understanding the properties of the living materials is vital in the design of implant materials. The selection of an appropriate material to place in the human body may be one of the most difficult tasks faced by the biomedical engineer. Certain metal alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites have been used as implant materials. Biomaterials must be nontoxic, non-carcinogenic, chemically inert (not reacting violently with the body's chemical composition), stable and mechanically strong enough to withstand the repeated forces of a lifetime of use. Newer biomaterials even incorporate living cells in order to provide a true biological and mechanical match for the living tissue.

 

Examples of biomaterials include dental adhesives, bone cement, replacement bones/joints, heart prosthetics, heart replacement valves and artificial lungs and kidneys.

System Physiology and Modeling:

In the context of biomedical engineering, modeling refers to the use of scientific and engineering principles to predict the behavior of a system of interests. Systems of interest may include the human body, particular organs or organ systems and medical devices.

This aspect of biomedical engineering is used to gain a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the function of living organisms. These organisms range from bacteria to humans. Modeling is used in the analysis of experimental data and in formulating mathematical descriptions of physiological events. In research, modeling is used as a predictive tool in designing new experiments to refine our knowledge.

Examples are the biochemistry of metabolism and the control of limb movements.

Biosignal Processing:

Signal processing involves the collection and analysis of data from patients or experiments in an effort to understand and identify individual components of the data set or signal. The manipulation and dissection of the data or signal provides the physician and experimenter with vital information on the condition of the patient or the status of the experiment. Biomedical engineers apply signal-processing methods to the design of medical devices that monitor and diagnose certain conditions in the human body.

Examples include heart arrhythmia detection software and brain activity.

Medical Imaging:

Medical Imaging combines knowledge of a unique physical phenomenon (sound, radiation, magnetism etc.) with high-speed electronic data processing, analysis and display to generate an image. Often, these images can be obtained with minimal or completely non-invasive procedures, making them less painful and more readily repeatable than invasive techniques.

Examples include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound and computed tomography (CT).

Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Engineering:

This area is comprised of two related parts: biomechanics and rehabilitation engineering. Biomechanics applies both fluid mechanics and transport phenomena to biological and medical issues. It includes the study of motion, material deformation, flow within the body, as well as devices, and transport phenomena in the body, such as transport of chemical constituents across biological and synthetic media and membranes. Efforts in biomechanics have developed the artificial heart, replacement heart valves and the hip replacement. Rehabilitation engineering uses concepts in biomechanics and other areas to develop devices to enhance the capabilities and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical and cogitative impairments. They are involved in prosthetics, the development of the home and/or workplace, and transportation modifications.