Question

Should biomedical engineers as a whole focus more on enhancing the human body or brain or fixing diseased or injured humans? Why? Support your answer with literature or examples.

Answer 1

Biomedical engineering is a multidisciplinary STEM that involves biology and engineering and utilizes engineering principles in medical services and general health care provision.By specializing in physiology, biology, healthcare and health informatics, mechanics, and engineering, biomedical engineers can combine their diverse skills to create solutions to continuing worldwide health issues, helping to change how patients are treated and lowering the cost of care. Biomedical engineers typically do the following: Design biomedical equipment and devices, such as artificial internal organs, replacements for body parts, and machines for diagnosing medical problems. Install, adjust, maintain, repair, or provide technical support for biomedical equipment.

Some areas of biomedical engineering are clinical engineering, rehabilitation engineering and systems physiology.

Clinical engineering is a specialty of applying and implementing medical technology to improve health care. A clinical engineer usually works in hospitals and is very close to where equipment is actually used in the patient care setting.

Rehabilitation engineering is the study of engineering and computer science in designing, developing, testing and evaluating equipment that helps people recovering from or adapting to physical and cognitive disabilities. Rehabilitation engineers develop technological solutions and devices to aid in the recovery of physical and cognitive functions lost because of disease or injury. Individuals with mobility, communication, hearing, vision, and cognition issues, as well as individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, ALS, West Nile, spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease can be assisted. Specifically designed devices can help with activities associated with independent living, education, integration into a community, and with employment. Rehabilitation engineers may observe how individuals perform tasks, and then make changes or accommodations in order to reduce or eliminate future injuries and discomfort. On the opposite side of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineers can help to design and develop intricate brain computer interfaces that have the ability to enable a severely disabled person to use computers and other devices simply by thinking about the function they want to perform.

Rehabilitation engineering includes,

Rehabilitation robotics -The use of robots as therapy aids helps mobility training for people with impaired movement (such as following a stroke).
Virtual rehabilitation - The use of virtual reality simulation exercises helps to motivate patients to exercise at home, which can be monitored by a therapist through the internet.
Physical prosthetics - Development of fine artificial legs, exoskeletons, dextrous upper limbs and hands that perfectly mimic the movement and user motives of the natural organs.
Advanced kinematics - Studies on human movement, muscle electrophysiology, and brain function to monitor human activity and prevent secondary injury.
Sensory prosthetics - To restore various lost functions, to provide navigation and communication (such as retinal and cochlear implants).
Brain computer interfaces -Using the brain's electrical impulses to communicate with people with severe disabilities, move a computer cursor or a robotic arm that can reach or grab items or send text messages.
Modulation of organ function - To act as interventions for urinary and fecal incontinence and sexual disorders, and to treat organ function such as in the case of a spinal cord injury.

System physiology uses engineering tools to understand how organisms from bacteria to humans work and respond to changes in their environment.