Biomedical Engineering

COMBINING ENGINEERING AND MEDICAL SCIENCE

What do Biomedical Engineers do?

Biomedical engineers are concerned with research and development, design, manufacture, use and support of a wide range of technology associated with health care. This wide range of medical technology includes diagnostic instrumentation, implantable devices, technology for the disabled, medical informatics and imaging and, more recently, intelligent prosthetics and medical robotics.

Biomedical engineers who work in hospitals are often called clinical engineers. They help others in the hospital choose the right technology for patient care. Such technology varies - from defibrilators to marvellously sophisticated equipment that allows physicians to look inside the body.

Biomedical engineers also work carefully to ensure that all of the hospital's equipment is safe and reliable.

Some biomedical engineers work in design and research laboratories in major companies. For example, these engineers design monitoring equipment, artificial organs, or schemes to deliver therapeutic drugs safely and effectively.


Rehabilitation engineers are biomedical engineers who work with technology and computers to help individuals with disabilities to reach toward their maximum potential for an enjoyable and productive life. Helping the mentally disabled learn, providing a voice for those who cannot speak, and transportation for the physically disabled are some of the activities of the rehabilitation engineer.

Other biomedical engineers work in research laboratories located in medical schools, universities and government facilities. Here, they learn more about the workings of the living body. Their studies range from the microscopic biological building blocks of life to whole body interactions.



Some biomedical engineers make man-made materials to repair and replace damaged organs. These materials may be used for contact lenses, dental implants, replacement hip joints, and replacements for limbs.



Biotechnology is the newest area of biology and medicine to have attracted the involvement of engineers, particularly in relation to medicine, agriculture, forensic science, security, environment control and mining.

Biomedical engineers therefore do many exciting things. Their work spans all of engineering and medicine. They have the satisfaction that their work helps other human beings directly.

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