Biomedical Engineering and the Human Body
Engineers are increasingly involved in design for the human body.Copyright (left to right) Medline Plus, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1142.htm; Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/images/VariousPills.jpg; Walther Thill, US Department of Veteran's Administration; https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhvPortal/anonymous.portal?_nfpb=true&_nfto=false&_pageLabel=spotlightArchive&contentPage=spotlight/spotlight_prosthetics.html; Jim Gathany, US Department of Health and Human Services; http://phil.cdc.gov/PHIL_Images/04182000/00005/Ultrasound_lores.jpg; President's DNA Initiative, US Department of Justice http://www.dna.gov/training/evidence/
Overview of topics by lesson: 1) skeletal system, 2) muscular system, 3) circulatory system, 4) respiratory system, 5) digestive system, 6) auditory-hearing sensory system, 7) vision sensory system, 8) reproductive system, 9) genetics, and 10) skeletal system.
Engineers are increasingly involved in design for the human body. Biomedical engineers create artificial limbs using materials and sensors to replicate natural function and movement. Understanding the muscular system enables engineers to design everyday tools, appliances and products. Other engineers design medical solutions to improve health and address disorders. This may take the form of devices, implants, machines, medicines and technologies (diagnostic equipment, pacemakers, surgical techniques, hearing aids, laser eye surgery, ultrasound, amniocentesis, in-vitro fertilization, pain medicine). Engineers also apply their understanding of DNA to numerous real-world applications. As part of their design work, engineers create flow charts, prototypes and models, and make technical presentations, to learn, test and communicate their work.