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 of engineering with 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 of research and development, spanning a broad array of
sub fields . Prominent biomedical engineering applications include the development of bio
compatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from clinical equipment to
micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, bio technologies such as regenerative
tissue growth, and pharmaceutical drugs and 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 with biochemical, cellular, molecular and tissue
engineering, biomaterials, and biotransport.
Electrical engineering - often associated with bioelectrical and neural engineering, bio
instrumentation, biomedical imaging, and medical devices. This also tends to
encompass Optics and Optical engineering - biomedical optics, imaging and related medical devices.
Mechanical engineering - often associated with biomechanics, biotransport, medical devices, and
modeling of biological 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, the heart-lung
machine, dialysis machines, artificial organs, implants, artificial limbs, corrective lenses, cochlear
implants, ocular prosthetics, facial prosthetics, somato prosthetics, and dental implants. And it does not end with
the gizmos. engineering techniques are frequently used in the field of medicine and biomedical engineering.
Stereolithography is a practical example of medical modeling being 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 innovative therapies, treatments, patient monitoring, and early diagnosis of
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...