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Bio medical engineering

so far medicine and engineering has been considered two of the most important fields of study. they have had their unique impressions on human beings in such a way that one might tend to think that doctors are dealing with life where as we engineers deal with materials. well it has been like that for many years but now things are changing since there is a direct link found between what doctors do and what we do. That is bio medical engineering.

Since our childhood we were made to fantasize about pirates with wooden legs,wooden children like Pinocchio,human like monkeys and children born from eggs. We were told that they were just fairy tales. As we grew we dreamed of superheroes with mechanical arms and legs who fought with no fear and who saw what others did not. We were not made to think of those more than just another entertainment source. But what if all those were to be real?

That is where the term biomedical engineering fits in. it is identified as the application of engineering applications and techniques to medical field. By combining the design and problem solving skills ofengineeringwith medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment .though it is a newly emerged field it seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine and has done a good job so far doing so.

Much of the work in biomedical engineering consists ofresearch and development, spanning a broad array of sub fields . Prominent biomedical engineering applications include the development of bio compatibleprostheses, various diagnostic and therapeuticmedical devicesranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such asMRIsandEEGs, bio technologies such as regenerative tissue growth, and pharmaceutical drugsand bio pharmaceuticals

as engineers there is less we can do when it comes to dealing with biology. But it is the engineers who play the major role in biomedical engineering. Below is a short list of fields of work and research in biomedical engineering according to the fields of study in engineering.

Chemical engineering- often associated withbiochemical, cellular,molecularandtissue engineering,biomaterials, andbiotransport.

Electrical engineering- often associated withbioelectricalandneural engineering, bio instrumentation, biomedical imaging, andmedical devices. This also tends to encompassOpticsandOptical engineering- biomedical optics, imaging and relatedmedical devices.

Mechanical engineering- often associated withbiomechanics,biotransport,medical devices, and modeling ofbiological systems.

So how have we engineers contributed towards the development of bio medical engineering.? Simple..just look around a hospital. From the stethoscope to the most sophisticated scanning machine they all had to come through us. The list might include pacemakers,infusion pumps, theheart-lung machine,dialysismachines,artificial organs,implants,artificial limbs,corrective lenses,cochlear implants,ocular prosthetics,facial prosthetics, somato prosthetics, anddental implants. And it does not end with the gizmos. engineering techniques are frequently used in the field of medicine and biomedical engineering. Stereolithographyis a practical example ofmedical modelingbeing used to create physical objects. Beyond modeling organs and the human body, emerging engineering techniques are also currently used in the research and development of new devices for innovativetherapies,treatments,patient monitoring, and earlydiagnosisof complex diseases.. doctors are not as smart as they are without engineers..;)

Dr Janaka Wijekulasooriya has been involved in research in the field of biomedical engineering regarding signal processing and instrumentation. According to him *

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Well that is where we are standing at the moment. If we have a peek at whats in the bag for the future it is more and more fascinating with the development of powerful computers and involvement of nano technology. From artificial eyes and ears to functional tissue engineering to neuro interfacing to bio informatics there will be some form of engineering involved.

According to some experts the future is in the area of functional tissue engineering where the goal is to make a human tissue replacement which functions as same as a real tissue and which can be made according to the surgeons requirements. Yet there are a lot of complications surrounding this when it comes to developing composite body parts having the properties of the natural tissue and bone. But scientist hope to over come this goal in another 10-15 years.

Another field which is expected to bloom is neuro interfacing which involves a lot of computer science and mathematical modeling. But this also has a lot to develop in compatibility testing and function testing before going in to brain implants. But bio imaging is not that far behind. Currently ultra sound scanning is used as a treatment method for tumors as a part of therapeutic imaging which uses imaging techniques as a method of treatment.

Thats where the world is heading. But Dr. Pantaline Fernando of university of Peradeniya has a another view on this issue. According to him...