Virtual clinical engineering: from biomedical basics to practical applications

Abstract

A sophisticated biomedical engineering (BME) laboratory course was designed to integrate state-of-the-art technology with a hands on learning approach in a flexible, virtual-based, clinical application setting. BME education requires hands on learning with cutting edge technology to produce students ready to solve clinical problems in research and industry. Exposing students to a wide range of BME applications increases interest as well as better prepares them to solve wide ranging problems. A wide range of BME laboratories have been designed to encompass both the basics of physiological signals as well as how to effectively utilize them in practical applications. These application interfaces are critical for students to understand how physiological signals may be manipulated to produce meaningful benefits for various medical disorders and rehabilitation needs. The laboratory course presented in this paper was implemented and evaluated at several universities. Utilizing the virtual environment for practical applications bridges the gap between theory and real world designs.