Frequently Asked Questions

1).WHAT IS BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING?
Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field thereby bridging the gap between engineering and medicine. The discipline focuses both on understanding complex living systems - via experimental and analytical techniques - and on development of devices, methods and algorithms that advance medical and biological knowledge while improving the effectiveness and delivery of clinical medicine.

2).What are the sub-disciplines within biomedical engineering?
Biomedical Engineering being an interdisciplinary field encompasses various sub-disciplines in it which belong to both engineering and medicine.
Ø  Biomechanics
Ø  Biomedical Instrumentation
Ø  Biomaterials
Ø  Biomechanics
Ø  Bionics
Ø  Cellular, Tissue, and Genetic Engineering
Ø  Clinical Engineering
Ø  Medical Imaging
Ø  Orthopedic Bioengineering
Ø  Rehabilitation engineering
Ø  Systems Physiology
Ø  Bio-nanotechnology.

3).What do Biomedical Engineers actually do?
Biomedical engineers may work in  diverse environments like hospitals, universities, industry and laboratories. They enjoy a  wide range of possible duties, including the design and development of artificial organs, modeling of physical processes, development of blood sensors and other physiologic sensors, design of therapeutic strategies and devices for injury recovery, development and refinement of imaging techniques and equipment, development of advanced detection systems, testing of product performance, and optimal lab design.

4).What are some important advances made by Biomedical Engineers?
Work done by biomedical engineers may include a wide range of activities such as

• Artificial organs (hearing aids, cardiac pacemakers, artificial kidneys and hearts, blood oxygenators, synthetic blood vessels, joints, arms, and legs).
• Automated patient monitoring (during surgery or in intensive care, healthy persons in unusual environments, such as astronauts in space or underwater divers at great depth).
• Blood chemistry sensors (potassium, sodium, O2, CO2, and pH).
• Advanced therapeutic and surgical devices (laser system for eye surgery, automated delivery of insulin, etc.).
• Application of expert systems and artificial intelligence to clinical decision making (computer-based systems for diagnosing diseases).
• Design of optimal clinical laboratories (computerized analyzer for blood samples, cardiac catheterization laboratory, etc.).
• Medical imaging systems (ultrasound, computer assisted tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, etc.).
• Computer modeling of physiologic systems (blood pressure control, renal function, visual and auditory nervous circuits, etc.).
• Biomaterials design (mechanical, transport and biocompatibility properties of implantable artificial materials).
• Biomechanics of injury and wound healing (gait analysis, application of growth factors, etc.).
• Sports medicine (rehabilitation, external support devices, etc.).

5).What is the scope of BME in INDIA?
Immense job opportunities in diverse spheres like medical equipments manufacturing, orthopedic and rehabilitation engineering, molecular, cellular and tissue engineering in public as well as in corporate sectors are available for the biomedical engineers in India. They can also be absorbed in hospitals to provide valuable advice on the status of medical equipments. Biomedical engineers can also engage themselves in research activities by working harmoniously with doctors in the field of computational mechanics, physiology, and medicine and invent cutting - edge technology. They can also develop biomaterials to blend living cells and biomechanics and provide a match for living tissues. This domain of research work is regarded as the most sought after research and the jobs on offer bring with it a handsome pay package.

6).What is the scope abroad?
There is a huge demand for biomedical engineers abroad. Clinical engineers who monitor and maintain the databases of medical instrumentation and work with physicians to adapt instrumentation for the specific needs of the physician and hospitals are most sought after in hospitals abroad. Rehabilitation engineers who develop hardware and software computer adaptations and provide cognitive aids to assist patients with memory impairment are also much sought after. Golden opportunities also await orthopedic engineers who improve the quality of life of patients by developing prosthetics, artificial limbs, hips and other organs. 

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