Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve health care diagnosis and treatment.

Biomedical engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field, influenced by (and overlapping with) various other engineering and medical fields. This often happens with newer disciplines, as they gradually emerge in their own right after evolving from special applications of extant disciplines. Due to this diversity, it is typical for a biomedical engineer to focus on a particular subfield or group of related subfields. There are many different taxonomic breakdowns within BME, as well as varying views about how best to organize them and manage any internal overlap; the main U.S. organization devoted to BME divides the major specialty areas as follows:

• Mechatronic
  
• Bioinstrumentation
• Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
• Cellular, Tissue, and Genetic Engineering
• Clinical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
  
• Orthopaedic Bioengineering
• Rahabilitation engineering
  
• Systems Physiology
• Bionanotechnology

Biomedical engineering has a huge impact on the world we live in today. There are now a variety of medical devices and machines that can both improve health and save lives, thanks to biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineering is the fusion of engineering expertise with the world of clinical medicine, developing technologies such as laser systems used in corrective eye surgery and systems for analysing blood. Biomedical engineering is key in the development and recreation of artificial organs, limbs and skin.

Biomedical engineers play an exciting and critical role at the frontier of technological advances to improve healthcare. They apply engineering expertise and ingenuity to design systems to help prevent, diagnose and treat all types of diseases, injuries and disabilities. The biomedical engineer will work with healthcare professionals including physicians, doctors, nurses, therapistsand technicians.

Biomedical engineering offers a whole host of career opportunities working for the benefit of the health of all mankind. As a biomedical engineer, technologist or technician you can work for:

• Industry: innovating and creating designs for new technologies or testing of new technologies for safety and performance.
• Government: product testing and establishing safety standards for medical devices.
• Hospitals: providing advice on the selection and application of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and maintenance, building customised devices for special health care or research needs.
• Consultancy: providing technical advise for marketing departments of companies.
• Research Centres: supervising laboratories and equipment, and participating in direct research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing.

As a biomedical engineering graduate you can:

• Design and develop medical instruments and equipment.
• Research the engineering aspects of biological systems.
• Research new materials for medical products.
• Adapt or design computer hardware and software for medical uses.
• Design technology to assist people with disabilities.

For more information about biomedical engineering:
www.bmes.org
www.whitaker.org
www.biomedical-engineering-online.com

source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering
www.steps.ie