Our Bodies Have Computers and Sensors
One way to look at the human body is as if it was an amazingly sophisticated computer system with sensors.Copyright 2006 Persian Poet Gal, Wikipedia (left), 2005 Gnsin, Wikimedia Commons {PD} (right) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nervous_system_diagram.png http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HONDA_ASIMO.jpg
Students learn about the human body's system components, specifically its sensory systems, nervous system and brain, while comparing them to robot system components, such as sensors and computers.
Comparing neuroscience and engineering shows us the functional similarities between the human brain and human-made computers, sensors and robots. Electrical, mechanical and biological engineers apply mathematical principles similar to those used in human brains and systems as they devise improved robots, computers and sensors. With the growing popularity of the biological engineering and systems neurobiology fields, engineers are becoming more involved in human body research involving efforts to replicate the functioning of many of human systems. For example, engineers are designing walking robots with artificial organs, such as heart and liver, and bio-sensors, such as for detecting sugar levels for diabetics.