 The major goal of the capstone senior design in the biomedical engineering program is to provide the opportunity for Biomedical Engineers to use their engineering background and design training to bring a product from inception to prototype in a simulated industrial environment.
Ideas for a new biomedical product / device or improvements to an existing product / device may be suggested by a faculty member, an industrial or medical research partner or one of the student’s themselves. In the fall semester senior design course, groups are formed to work on specific problems based on interest. Groups may consist of 2 - 5 students, depending on the scope and complexity of the problem. Multidisciplinary projects may require students with additional skills (e.g. high level programming language skills or a business student for a sophisticated business plan) to participate. These multidisciplinary teams are encouraged wherever appropriate and possible.
 Groups then meet and go through brainstorming sessions to try to develop several alternative designs. The designs are then compared and one of the designs is selected for development based on it’s performance rating on a list of desirable properties. The group then comes up with a list of deliverables and a GANTT chart showing a timetable for accomplishing their goals. The deliverables include an economic and marketing analysis for the product, engineering drawings, materials selection, critical design calculations and a prototype fabrication and testing plan. Group oral and written progress reports are presented at specified intervals. A web site is constructed for the project and a poster presented at Senior Design day in April, which is open to the public and sponsors.
2008-2009 BME Senior Design Projects Team Tilt | Design of a quantitative measurement system to enable more precise assessment of patients requiring physical therapy. | Drug Reconstitutioners | Design of an automated, mechanical prototype programmed to mix a lypholized BCG drug with its diluent and saline. | Versichair | Device designed to aid in re-educating patients with neurological conditions that compromise motor skills. | Tension | Ligament Tensiometer which is currently being designed to aid and assist surgeons during posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. | OxyGEN | Design of a mobile oxygen generation system which produces 100% pure oxygen for a mobile emergency response vehicle. | H2prO | The H2prO is a portable, mechanically powered UV water treatment unit designed to provide safe drinking water for any individual, in any location, under any circumstance. | EZ- Solutions | A mobile medical wastewater treatment system was designed to decontaminate medical wastewater accumulated from surgical operations on disaster relief vehicles so that it may be disposed without a sewer connection. | DFT | A novel, portable device has been designed to detect precursor symptoms of foot ulceration is patients who suffer from Diabetic Foot. | Sponsored Projects
Corporate and Medical School sponsorship of projects provides a real world context to the senior design experience. We encourage such sponsorship and work with sponsors to protect proprietary information and intellectual property. |
