Week 3 Free Post: Incredible Biomedical Innovations

While searching for a subject for this week's free post, I started wondering about some of the new inventions that biomedical engineers have created. Not knowing much about the medical field, I decided to search the internet to see what I could find. Some of the things I found fascinated me.

The article I came across was titled "Top 10- Biomedical Engineering Innovations in the Last Decade" and number one on its list was an artificial heart. Previous artificial hearts required the patient to be bed ridden and hooked up to tubes and electrical power lines that passed through their skin, but this new innovation only requires the patient to have a battery pack that can be hooked onto their belt. (Tripathi 1) This means that the patient can move around freely and doesn't require tubes or electrical lines passing through their skin.

This astounded me since I never knew that they had actually made an artificial heart before. What I found even more crazy was the fact that they have already successfully implanted one of these artificial hearts into a patient in 2001.

Another thing I found to be interesting in this article was a bionic contact lens that was made by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle. This contact lens is imprinted with an electronic circuit and places computerized images into the wearer's view. The contact lens could be used by pilots or drivers in the future and provide driving routes and weather and vehicle information. It also may have the ability to monitor a person's health and wirelessly send the collected information to a computer (Tripathi 4).

Lastly, an invention named eLEGS was developed by Berkeley Bionics. This invention is an exoskeleton that enhances strength and improves mobility and can be used by paraplegics at home to help them walk and climb stairs (Tripathi 9). The exoskeleton has the potential to help many wheelchair-ridden patients walk for hours and could help stop many of the disabilities caused by sitting for long periods of time (Austin 1).

All of these inventions seem as though they're straight out of some futuristic movie, but they are coming to life right in front of us. Biomedical engineers really do work to make some incredible inventions, but all that hard work pays off when they make someone's life better. Learning about these innovations in the field really excites me about becoming a biomedical engineer and I hope that one day I will be working on projects like these.

Works Cited

Tripathi, Kush. "Top 10- Biomedical Engineering Innovations in the Last Decade." BiomediKal.in. BiomediKal.in, 30 July 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.

"Austin." Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory, Web. 19 Sept. 2013. 

Week 2 Free Post: Blog vs. Scholarly Article Follow Up

After I posted the week 2 prompted post, I realized that the article I used was actually an interview. This post will compare the differences between an actual scholarly article and the interview that was used in my last post.

The article I found is called "Review: Micro- and nanostructured surface engineering for biomedical applications". This article talks about the ability of surface features engineered by many different methods to promote or reduce protein, blood, and material adhesion. The article goes into great detail describing the interaction of proteins with surface topography (the distribution of parts or features on the surface of an organ or organism) and the use of superhydrophobic surface features (surfaces that repel water to the degree that droplets do not flatten but roll off instead) to engineer antifouling surfaces (surfaces that stop the accumulation of microorganisms on wetted surfaces). Many technical terms, which I am not advanced enough in my studies to understand, are used all throughout the article that make it very difficult for people who have not thoroughly studied the field of biomedical engineering to understand.

Both the article and interview were meant for a very well educated audience and used a very educated type of style, but there were still many noticeable differences between the two. For one, the article went into much greater detail describing its topic than the interview did and even used graphs, diagrams, and tables to better show the information. Also, the interview used a question and answer type of delivery with a somewhat short answer to each question. The article, on the other hand, was delivered in long paragraphs and was arranged in different sections of information.

Although I understood the main points of the interview and article, I would like to be able to understand all of the wording and information in each of these two papers. I find both of these papers to be very interesting and am excited to learn more about this field.

Works Cited

Luong-Van, Emma, et al. "Review: Micro- and nanostructured surface engineering for biomedical applications." Journal of Materials Research 28.2 (2013): 165-174 Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

Week 2 Prompted Post: Blog vs. Scholarly Article

While I was searching for more information on biomedical engineering, I came across two different sources- a blog and a scholarly article. Both were about two completely different topics. The blog post was about a researcher turning a HP Touchpad Tablet into a MRI Lab and the article was about how a biomedical engineer from Boston University has reprogrammed organisms to have improved functions.

An example of these improved functions discussed in the article is a reprogrammed organism that is able to convert sunlight or biomass into fuels of interest. Unfortunately, for every $1 worth of fuel it can cost $4 to make (Collins 1). What is so interesting about this synthetic biology is the fact that it could have major uses in the medical field.

The blog post talks about how Andrew B. Holbrook, a bioengineering research associate from Stanford, with the help of TouchPad hardware engineers has created a more plastic version of the HP Touchpad Tablet with a lot less glue. Electrical equipment is kept away from the MRI machine so that it doesn't cause interference because of the strong magnetic field that a MRI produces, but since this new version of the HP Touchpad is made almost entirely of plastic it doesn't cause any interferences with the MRI ("Biomedical" 1). This innovation has brought many advantages to the MRI lab including a high-powered HP server system.

I immediately noticed very big differences between the two sources of information. The blog was much easier to understand and was meant for an audience such as I who doesn't know much about the field of biomedical engineering.The blog was still very informative, but kept it simple while having great descriptions of how this new invention would have great uses in the MRI lab. The article, however, had very advanced language that was way over my head and was obviously meant for professionals in the field. I think that to completely understand what the article was trying to say you would need to have studied biomedical engineering for a good while.

Works Cited

"Biomedical Researcher Turns HP TouchPad Tablet to MRI Lab." Biomedical Engineering. 

N.p. 9 December 2011. Web. 12 September 2013

Collins, James. "Circuit Capacity: a Boston University biomedical engineer, Collins reprograms organisms to endow them with novel or improved functions. Nature Outlook asks him how things are evolving." Nature Outlook 483.7387 (2012): S11. Print.

Week 1 Free Post: 10 Questions Follow Up

The book i chose to answer the ten questions in my previous post was not very helpful, so I decided to look on the internet to see if i could get more information on the questions I have.

1. What do biomedical engineers do?   
    Biomedical engineers work to create things such as medical instruments, replacement body parts, test equipment, and drug delivery systems to make the lives of people who have been injured or are sick more comfortable.

2. Which state has the most jobs in biomedical engineering?    
    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the highest percentage of jobs in this field is located in California.

3. What degree do I need for a job in biomedical engineering?    
    Most biomedical engineers get a bachelor's degree, but many continue on to pursue a masters or doctorate degree. The students who go to graduate school usually do so to specialize in one area of this field.

5. What classes in college will be the most useful in this career?   
    Although many classes are required to get a degree in biomedical engineering, the most useful courses will be Senior Biomedical Engineering Design I and II. These classes will combine my critical thinking, design, and communication skills with the scientific and engineering knowledge I have acquired from the rest of my studies in the biomedical engineering program. Through this class I will further enhance all the knowledge and skills I have gained from the biomedical engineering program.

6. What is the job outlook for this career?   
    Biomedical engineers are in very high demand with a projected job growth of 21% or more from the years 2010-2020, which is much higher than average.

7. How often will I work with other people to create a product?   
    Biomedical engineers work very closely with doctors, scientists, and other engineers. They will commonly work as part of a team to design and test new products and will work with hospital administrations on how to use the new product. 

8. What skills would be helpful to have in this field?      
      1. Communication: Since biomedical engineers work with so many different types of people, communication is a vital skill in this field.     
      2. Critical Thinking: Biomedical engineers need to have the ability to think of new ways to solve a problem, imagine new ideas for products, and find ways to improve existing systems.     
      3. Time Management: Biomedical engineers need to manage the time it will take to complete projects in a timely manner.

9. What is the most up and coming thing in this career?    
    Melanoma Scanner: Although this device does not definitively tell doctors that a mole is not cancerous, it reduces the amount of people who need to have invasive surgery just to tell if a mole is cancerous or not. This device is FDA approved and uses missile navigation technology, which was made for the Department of Defense, to scan a mole at 10 electromagnetic wavelengths. Using complicated algorithms, the wavelengths are then processed and compared to 10,000 images of melanoma and skin disease.

10. What will help to set me apart from the rest when trying to get a job in this field?     
      An internship is very helpful in making connections with people in your field. It also helps you to apply and build the skills that you learned in school.

The internet was a much more helpful resource than a book in answering the questions I had about biomedical engineering. I learned a lot about this field through this post. Everything I learned intrigued me and made me more excited about starting a career in this field.    

Works Cited

"Occupational Employment Statistics." Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,29 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172031.htm>.

"Biomedical Engineer." Science Buddies. Rackspace Hosting, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 
2013.<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-engineering-
careers/HumBio_biomedicalengineer_c001.shtml#keyfactsinformation>.

"Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering." The University of Texas at San Antonio Collge of Engineering. U of Texas at San Antonio, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 
2013.<http://engineering.utsa.edu/undergraduate/bs-biomedical-engineering.php>.

"Biomedical Engineers." Minnesota Energy Careers. iSeek Solutions, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 
2013.<http://www.iseek.org/industry/energy/careers/careerDetail?id=8&oc=100512>. MacRae, Michael. 

"Top 5 Medical Technology Innovations." ASME. ASME Intl., Mar. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013. 
<https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-
innovations>.

Week 1 Prompted Post: 10 Questions About Biomedical Engineering

1. What do biomedical engineers do?

2. Which state has the most jobs in biomedical engineering?

3. What degree do I need for a job in biomedical engineering?

4. Where could I work as a biomedical engineer?
     Most biomedical engineers will work in an in-hospital Biomedical department, however there are also jobs for outside companies that are equipment vendors and manufacturers. The Armed Forces also hire biomedical engineers and even provide their own training programs for Biomedical Technicians. As a biomedical engineer you could become a professor and teach classes about the field.

5. What classes in college will be the most useful in this career?

6. What is the job outlook for this career?

7. How often will I work with other people to create a product?

8. What skills would be helpful to have in this field?

9. What is the most up and coming thing in this career?

10. What will help to set me apart from the rest when trying to get a job in this field?

I used the book Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology by Laurence Street to try and answer the questions I had about Biomedical Engineering. The book was helpful in explaining the places I would work as a biomedical engineer, but focused mainly on the medical technology that biomedical engineers have already created. I am happy to know that most biomedical engineers work in hospitals because I have always been interested in working in a hospital, but have not wanted the responsibilities of a doctor. Although I did learn something new about the field of biomedical engineering, i am eager to learn more. I think, for the questions I am asking, it would be much more helpful to get information from a website or from an actual biomedical engineer who works in the field.

Works Cited

Street, Laurence. Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC, 2012. Print.