Biomedical+Engineering

=Education= [|MIT | Department of Biological Engineering] = = = = =101010101101= Career Information=

Biomedical Engineers: Career, Salary and Education Information
An increasing demand for cost-effective medical products should boost the demand for biomedical engineers, particularly those working in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research. The best job prospects are expected for biomedical engineers with master's degrees in the field.
 * Career Profile: What do Biomedical Engineers do?** Biomedical engineers combine biology, medicine, and engineering and use advanced knowledge of engineering and science to solve medical and health-related problems. Biomedical engineers design massive MRI machines along with the microscopic machines used in surgery. They research and develop prostheses, evaluate the use of artificial organs, and improve instrumentation used in hospitals and clinics.

A sophisticated level of scientific and technical knowledge is required for biomedical engineers, who bridge the gap between medicine and engineering. Attention to detail is another important skill, along with communication and team ability.
 * A Day in the Life of a Biomedical Engineer** Working in teams, either with other engineers or with research or manufacturing professionals, biomedical engineers create the specialized products that save lives and make patients safer and more comfortable. Many biomedical engineers are in research, assisting life scientists, chemists, and other scientists to develop and evaluate medical systems and products.

Some schools provide undergraduate degrees in biomedical engineering and ypical coursework includes instruction in neuroengineering fundamentals; biofluid mechanics; engineering electrophysiology; diagnostic imaging physics; and drug design, development, and delivery. In addition to core courses, students can take electives related to their ultimate career goals.
 * Biomedical Engineer Training and Education** A bachelor's degree is the first step for engineers because most careers in the field require the degree as an entry level requirement. Biomedical engineers often combine formal training in mechanical and electronics engineering with focused biomedical training to operate confidently in the field. Unlike many engineering fields, many entry-level biomedical engineers hold a master's degree.

Although some engineering specialties are expected to rise slowly or even decline in the coming years, biomedical engineers should see growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 21 percent growth for biomedical engineers, with an estimated 3,000 new careers created in the industry through 2016. The demand for increasingly sophisticated medical devices is behind the predicted employment increase.
 * Biomedical Engineer Employment & Outlook** Of the 14,000 biomedical engineers employed nationwide, most are employed in medical equipment and supplies manufacturing. Other large employing groups include pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, scientific and research development services, and general medical and surgical hospitals.


 * Biomedical Engineer Salary** Biomedical engineers saw mean annual earnings of $79,610 in 2007, according to the BLS. Those working in medical equipment and supplies manufacturing saw slightly higher salaries, at $81,950, while those working in scientific research and development earned $92,870. Careers with the most competition often require applicants to have a master's degree.

." class="wiki_link_ext">"Biomedical Engineers: Training, Salary, & Career Information." CollegeGrad.com - Entry Level Jobs and Internships for College Students and Recent Graduates. 20 Apr. 2009 . = =

Job description
Biomedical engineers apply engineering principles and materials technology to healthcare. This can include researching, designing and developing medical products, such as joint replacements or robotic surgical instruments; designing or modifying equipment for clients with special needs in a rehabilitation setting; or managing the use of clinical equipment in hospitals and the community. Biomedical engineers can be employed by health services, medical equipment manufacturers and research departments/institutes. Job titles can vary depending on the exact nature of the work. As well as biomedical engineer you are likely to come across bioengineer; design engineer; and clinical scientist (in a hospital setting/clinical situation).

Typical work activities
Work activities vary, depending on where you work and the seniority of the post, but typically involve: = = "Biomedical engineer: Job description and activities | Prospects.ac.uk." __OCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd" Prospects.ac.uk - Graduate Jobs, Postgrad Study, Graduate Career Information / Advisory Service__. 31 Mar. 2009 .
 * using computer software and mathematical models to design, develop and test new materials, devices and equipment. This can involve programming electronics; building and evaluating prototypes; troubleshooting problems; and rethinking the design until it works correctly;
 * liaising with technicians and manufacturers to ensure the feasibility of a product in terms of design and economic viability;
 * conducting research to solve clinical problems using a variety of means to collate the necessary information, including questionnaires, interviews and group conferences;
 * liaising closely with other medical professionals, such as doctors and therapists as well as with end-users (patients and their carers);
 * discussing and solving problems with manufacturing, quality, purchasing and marketing departments;
 * assessing the potential wider market for products or modifications suggested by health professionals or others;
 * arranging clinical trials of medical products;
 * approaching marketing and other industry companies to sell the product;
 * writing reports and attending conferences and exhibitions to present your work and latest designs to a range of technical and non-technical audiences;
 * meeting with senior health service staff or other managers to exchange findings;
 * dealing with technical queries from hospitals and GPs and giving advice on new equipment;
 * testing and maintaining clinical equipment;
 * training technical or clinical staff;
 * investigating safety-related incidents;
 * keeping up to date with new developments in the field, nationally and internationally.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Biomedical Engineering = = =  The last two decades have witnessed a worldwide effort to provide limb amputees with prostheses which better emulate the natural control of the normal limb. The general schema is the detection of biopotentials indicative of centralnervous-system intent followed by timely and high-fidelity transfer of such signals to servomechanisms which mimic the ablated articulations-hence the adoption of Norbert Wiener's term “cybernetic” as the control strategy. This article, a distillation of the remarks of the author on the occasion of the ALZA Distinguished Lecture of the Biomedical Engineering Society at the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, California, in April of 1980, outlines the historical development, current status, and future prospects of cybernetic prostheses against the background of conventional artificial hands, arms, and legs. The author augments his personal experience with single-degree- and multiple-degree-of-freedom, upper-extremity protheses control and multimodal artificial knee control at MIT with parallel efforts elsewhere in the United States and in Europe. The detection and processing of electromyographic and electroneural signals with comparisons of contemporary and future effectiveness and evolving interpretations of the role of sensory feedback in prostheses in relation to research on physiological movement control are also discussed. Brief descriptions of cybernetic approaches to orthotic devices for paralyzed limb reanimation are included. This article discusses evaluation of prostheses and the thus far formidable problems of technology transfer of sophisticated electronic electromechanical artificial limbs and acceptance by healthcare providers, both of which are essential to wide-scale availability to amputees. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Anaheim, California, April 1980. Mann, Robert W. "SpringerLink - Journal Article." __SpringerLink Home - Main__. 31 Mar. 2009 .

= Biomechatronics = [|Video on how Biomechatronics Works (halfway down page)]

Consider what happens when you lift your foot to walk:
 * 1) The motor center of your brain sends impulses to the muscles in your foot and leg. The appropriate muscles contract in the appropriate sequence to move and lift your foot.
 * 2) Nerve cells in your foot sense the ground and feedback information to your brain to adjust the force, or the number of muscle groups required to walk across the surface. You don't apply the same force to walk on a wooden floor as you do to walk through snow or mud, for example.
 * 3) Nerve cells in your leg muscle spindles sense the position of the floor and feedback information to the brain. You do not have to look at the floor to know where it is.
 * 4) Once you raise your foot to take a step, your brain sends appropriate signals to the leg and foot muscles to set it down

Any biomechatronic system must have the same types of components.: Biosensors detect the user's "intentions." Depending upon the impairment and type of device, this information can come from the user's nervous and/or muscle system. The biosensor relates this information to a controller located either externally or inside the device itself, in the case of a prosthetic. Biosensors also feedback from the limb and actuator (such as the limb position and applied force) and relate this information to the controller or the user's nervous/muscle system. Biosensors may be wires that detect electrical activity such as **galvanic detectors** (which detect an electric current produced by chemical means) on the skin, needle electrodes implanted in muscle, and/or solid-state electrode arrays with nerves growing through them.
 * Biosensors**

Mechanical sensors measure information about the device (such as limb position, applied force and load) and relate to the biosensor and/or the controller. These are mechanical devices such as force meters and accelerometers. The controller is interfaces the user's nerve or muscle system and the device. It relays and/or interprets intention commands from the user to the actuators of the device. It also relays and/or interprets feedback information from the mechanical and biosensors to the user. The controller also monitors and controls the movements of the biomechatronic device. The actuator is an artificial muscle that produces force or movement. The actuator can be a motor that aids or replaces the user's native muscle depending upon whether the device is orthotic or prosthetic. We'll look at the progress made in the field of biomechatronics next.
 * Mechanical Sensors**
 * Controller**
 * Actuator**

Until now, we have primarily addressed how biomechatronic devices can help people with impaired motor function. But what could these devices do to a normal person? Could they give him/her superhuman strength like Steve Austin, the "Six Million Dollar Man"? To this effect, investigators at the University of California at Berkeley have developed a machine or exoskeleton to enhance the walking ability of a normal human. The **[|Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton]** (BLEEX) uses metal leg braces that powered by motors to make it easier for the wearer to walk. Sensors and actuators in the device provide feedback information to adjust the movements and the load while walking. The device's controller and engine are located in avest attached to a backpack frame. While the device itself weighs 100 pounds, it enables a person to haul a 70-pound backpack, while feeling as if he/she is merely carrying 5 pounds. ||  Photo courtesy [|©2003 Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory] || BLEEX could have many uses for the military as well as civilians. With BLEEX, soldiers could carry heavy loads across rugged terrain without fatigue. Similarly, military medics could carry injured victims off the battlefield. Fire and rescue workers could carry heavy gear or supplies great distances where vehicles could not travel. When fully developed, biomechatronic devices will be useful in many ways:
 * The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) helps lighten the load for the human user.**
 * They can provide improved motor function that better mimics normal biological function to impaired individuals
 * They can be used to train individuals with impaired motor function (physical therapy uses)
 * They can adjust to each person without requiring a third party
 * They can enhance performance of normal individuals

Recently, Claudia Mitchell, a former Marine and amputee, has tested a [|prosthetic arm] developed by Dr. Todd Kuiken at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. A plastic surgeon, Dr. Gregory Dumainian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago re-directed the nerves that control her missing arm to her chest. The nerves re-grew close to the skin of her chest. Tiny electrodes on her skin pick up the electrical activity of these nerves and send signals to the motors in the arm. She is able to control the arm's movements by thinking about it. As of now, the prosthetic arm is not truly biomechatronic in that signals only go one way, from Claudia to the arm. Dr. Kuiken is working on the next step of having the arm provide feedback to her, including sensations such as pain and pressure.

"HowStuffWorks "How Biomechatronics Works"" __Howstuffworks "Health Channel"__ 31 Mar. 2009 .