Development of an Integrated Laboratory Course Sequence on Biomedical Instrumentation and Signal Processing

Abstract

This paper presents the development of an undergraduate laboratory course sequence on biomedical instrumentation and signal processing, designed to provide an integrated learning experience on the practical aspects of biomedical system design. The course sequence is aimed for the third-year students of the biomedical engineering undergraduate program and implemented as two consecutive laboratory courses taking place at sequential semesters. Each course consists of classical lectures on technical aspects of biomedical instrumentation or signal processing, followed by structured laboratory works which culminate into a complete functional system at the end of each semester. The respective case studies of the first and second half of the sequence are the development of an off-the-shelf analog electrocardiograph instrument and a simple digital signal processing module to measure heart rate from the electrocardiogram. The course sequence emphasizes on the translation of physiological concepts into analog and digital electronic systems as well as the appropriate design and prototyping considerations of such systems. It promotes integrative thinking and independent study by posing each module as a semi-open problem and omitting the traditional step-by-step instruction set. This course sequence serves as a firsthand exposure to a model biomedical system design cycle.