What is Biomedical Engineering?

Would you be interested in receiving an artificial heart transplant specially printed for your body? How about a prosthetic that can function just as well as a human arm? Biomedical engineering, shortened to BME, is a new, interdisciplinary field that aims to remedy these medical issues with engineering skills. 

Biomedical engineers often explore one of two pathways: workers in the industry build various medical devices for hospitals or patients, while professors in academia research tissues alongside materials, mechanical, and electrical engineering.

Bioengineering vs Biomedical Engineering

Bioengineering and biomedical engineering are overlapping (yet distinct) fields that share many objectives. Many consider biomedical engineering a subcategory of bioengineering. However, bioengineering and biomedical engineering have recently begun to differ in breadth.

Bioengineering is a broader discipline; its objective is to apply engineering to living organisms. With areas in gene editing and sustainability, bioengineering hopes to develop solutions for various species and ecosystems. Click here to explore some of the fields of bioengineering.

Biomedical engineering (BME) is often considered a separate field from bioengineering due to its up-and-coming applications. Biomedical engineering specifically tackles healthcare-related challenges; engineers might develop medical devices, artificial organs, or prosthetics.

Categories of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering encompasses a large collection of specializations. Areas such as tissue engineering, biomechanics, or neuroengineering are also researched in bioengineering. Here are some major categories of biomedical engineering:

Bioinstrumentation/Clinical Engineering: Bioinstrumentation engineers design medical devices using electrical engineering techniques. One important biomedical device is the automatic external defibrillator (AED) that is used in cases of cardiac arrest. Clinical engineering involves specific technology within healthcare facilities; this ranges from simple diagnostic tools like blood pressure/oxygen monitors to complex surgical equipment.

Biomaterials: Biomaterials are engineered to work inside biological systems. Between living tissues for medical implants and polymers for drug delivery systems, biomaterial engineers test various materials to enhance their biocompatibility.

Biomechanics: Biomechanical engineers study tissue and bone behaviors to develop implants or prosthetics that fit into the human body. With this information, developments in biomechatronics are possible.

Biomechatronics: Biomechatronics works with mechanical engineering to create prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons. Think Luke Skywalker’s robotic arm from Star Wars. Engineers in biomechatronics aim to develop prosthetics that can restore motor functions or replace lost limbs. Smaller, closely related fields include bionics and biorobotics.

Bioprinting: Bioprinting is an emerging field that uses 3D printing (additive manufacturing) to recreate living tissues. The field uses specialized printers to deposit layers of living cells, or bioinks, to create functional organs.

Neural Engineering (Neuroengineering): Neuroengineers construct brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and prosthetics that control joints and muscles; Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant is one BCI to influence intelligence.

Tissue Engineering: Tissue engineering creates functional biological tissues and organs to replace damaged ones. Scientists in this field scaffold materials and culture cells to stimulate tissue regeneration, like the scaffolding of a new skyscraper.

The Future of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is an innovative field that merges biology, medicine, and engineering. Though current degrees in biomedical engineering are still not refined, biomedical engineering currently has one of the fastest-growing job outlooks in the United States, and jobs will establish more specific requirements for biomedical engineering degrees in the near future. 

Working alongside bioengineering, biomedical engineering pushes the boundaries of scientific knowledge and offers devices and tissues to address some of the world’s medical challenges. Perhaps one day, these innovations will end up saving your life!