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Examples of the different biomedical devices developed within the UBORA Design School 2017. Some results from the ''conceive'' and ''design'' phases: Concepts: (a) Monitored warming suit. (b) Resuscitation device for neonates. Designs: (c) Instrumented pacifier for detecting SIDS. (d) Portable cooler for vaccines.
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Biomedical engineering (BME) has the potential of transforming medical care towards universal healthcare by means of the democratization of medical technology. To this end, innovative holistic approaches and multidisciplinary teams, built upon the gathering of international talent, should be encouraged within the medical industry. However, these tr...
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Context 1
... major delays. Minor adjustments, consisting of a couple of lessons performed via Skype and two additional modifications to the topics of keynote speeches did not affect the overall teaching-learning programme and the 8 groups of students were able to complete the desired complete CDIO cycles with their biomedical projects (see examples shown in Figs. 3 and 4) using the UBORA e-infrastructure as a support and working tool. Taking into consideration the relationship between students and mentors during the design school, we would like to stress the great ambience of collaboration achieved, especially taking into account the international and multi-cultural audi- ence, which was a source of ...
Context 2
... selecting the adequate ''concept''. The design stage was devoted to obtaining basic CAD geometries of the different components, selecting materials, designing electronic circuits, defining joining forms, selecting commercial components (i.e., sensors and actuators) and briefly describing possible manufacturing processes towards produc- tion (see Fig. 3). The implementation phase included the prototyping of electronic circuits using prototyping boards and Arduino kits and the rapid manufacture of mechanical components by 3D printing, either using the real CAD geome- tries or resorting to scaled conceptual prototypes (Fig. 4). Mounting and testing was also part of this phase. As for ...
Citations
... Indeed, transformations through educational innovation are possible [51]. In Mandela's words: "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world", and consequently, modern engineering education must continually reinvent itself to accelerate such change, always working under the guiding ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice, which includes equity. ...
... The field of biomedical engineering is fascinating and covers the use of technical and scientific methods, the study and delivery of medical care, and biological and physiological issues. In biomedical engineering, products and processes are developed to fulfil various challenges of medicine and health by integrating their biological and medical knowledge with technical principles and practices [24][25][26]. ...
Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering & technology that combines biomedical sciences with engineering principles. This discipline covers broad areas where biomedical engineers are involved in the fields of medicine, regenerative medicine & associated areas and in developing better products and services. Biomedical engineering offers software for simulation, 3D motion-catching and printing technologies for computer modelling and engineering. The discipline of biomedical engineering is a fast-moving, cross-disciplinary field covering medicine, biology, chemistry, engineering, nanotechnology and informatics. Innovative medical gadgets, vaccinations, disease control products, robotics, and algorithms that enhance human health worldwide are being developed by bioengineers. Living tissues are formed of bioactive cells and stored in regulated circumstances on biodegradable scaffolds. The use of biomedical engineering concepts is to address issues with healthcare. Biomedical engineers create medical tools and procedures that enhance people's health by combining their understanding of engineering, virology, and healthcare. Blood glucose monitoring, pacemakers, and prosthetic limbs are examples of biomedical equipment. The main purpose of this paper is to study Biomedical Engineering and its need in healthcare. The paper discusses various innovations and research aspects of Biomedical Engineering in the healthcare domain. The paper further identified and discussed significant applications of Biomedical engineering for healthcare. Biomedical engineering is a fascinating field of life science that can change healthcare and open the door to new technologies in prostheses, operating equipment, diagnoses, imaging and more. The multidisciplinary area of biomedical technology provides better possibilities for biological research and engineering and changes how we interact with the world.
... In BME or biomedical engineering technician (BMET) education, scientific-technological excellence is a prerequisite for designing, maintaining, repairing dedicated medical devices [35]. At the same time, attitude and competences for multidisciplinary collaborations and teamworking are also needed for developing user-centered and context-based devices [36], because catering to the specific social, cultural, and technological needs of a region have been considered one of the keys to a sustainable and efficient health care system [37,38]. ...
Supporting the expansion of best practices in Biomedical Engineering (BME) can facilitate pathway toward the providing universal health coverage and more equitable and accessible healthcare technologies, especially in low- and middle-income (LMI) settings. These best practices can act as drivers of change and may involve scientific-technological issues, human intervention during technology development, educational aspects, social performance management for improved interactions along the medical technology life cycle, methods for managing resources and approaches for the establishment of regulatory frameworks.
The aim of our study was to identify weaknesses and strengths of the scientific, technological, socio-political, regulatory and educational landscape in BME in LMI resource settings. We thus analysed the current state-of-the-art through six dimensions considered fundamental for advancing quality and equity in healthcare: 1) relevant and 2) emergent technologies, 3) new paradigms in medical technology development, 4) innovative BME education, 5) regulation and standardization for novel approaches, and 6) policy making. In order to evaluate and compare their relevance, maturity and implementation challenges, they were assessed through a questionnaire to which 100 professionals from 35 countries with recognized experience in the field of BME and its application to LMI settings responded.
The results are presented and discussed, highlighting the main challenges and pinpointing relevant areas where intervention, including local lobbying and international promotion of best practices is necessary. We were also able to identify areas where minimal effort is required to make big changes in global health.
... Even if it is difficult to reach the degree of project completion achievable with longer-term and on-site CDIO experiences, which count with physical prototyping facilities [34], virtual PBL has been shown to promote students' professional skills in an effective and efficient way. In this sense, having the structured framework proposed by the UBORA platform allowed participants to fully understand the design process and to collaboratively complete the specific tasks. ...
Quality technical education on healthcare technologies is still inaccessible to young adults in low-resource settings due to high costs, low-tech environments, and gaps in learning materials. The online and open-source collaborative Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology intends to introduce early-career engineers into the development of healthcare technologies by allowing students from all around the world, regardless of background or place of origin, to engage in collaborative design methods, the use of open-source resources and learning experiences from experts in the field. This paper discusses a case study in which the aforementioned methodology was implemented, the ''COVID-19 Innovation Competition and Design Bootcamp 2020'', which brought together 105 participants from 22 countries, mostly in Africa, to conceptualize the design of 10 medical devices in two weeks for an integral management of the COVID-19 pandemic that is applicable to other infectious disease outbreaks. The presented experience demonstrates that highly formative virtual PBL experiences can be carried out, in a cost-effective way and in connection with real societal needs, for which remarkable solutions can be found, by virtue of multidisciplinary and international cooperation. Our findings demonstrate that even if it is difficult to reach the degree of project completion achievable with longer-term and on-site design-build experiences, on-line PBL has been shown to promote students' professional skills in an effective way.
... To cite a recent example, the UBORA community is fostering a change of paradigm in the biomedical industry, towards more equitable healthcare technologies through a fostering of open source medical devices. In connection with such essential objective, several training initiatives, including international competitions and express-CDIO experiences, are developed on an annual basis [40]. Besides, UBORA training materials (recorded lessons, presentations, case studies share through a medical device ''Wikipedia'') are made freely available (please see: https://platform. ...
This study presents the concept of ‘‘Engineering Education 5.0’’, a future educational paradigm linked to a vision of
engineering education characterized by a need for continuous evolution, as a consequence of a challenging quest for a
more sustainable and caring future. In a way, this forthcoming evolution emanates from very relevant advances in
engineering education achieved in the last decades and from a view inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals, but
beyond the Agenda 2030 in terms of temporal framework. Besides, it outruns current emergent approaches and
innovation trends, linked to supporting the expansion and application of Industry 4.0 technologies and principles.
Engineering Education 5.0 transcends the development and application of technology and enters the realm of ethics and
humanism, as key aspects of for a new generation of engineers. Ideally, engineers educated in this novel educational
paradigm should be capable of leading and mentoring the approach to technological singularity, which has been defined as
a future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible leading to unpredictable
impact on human civilization, while ensuring human rights and focusing on the construction of a more sustainable and
equitable global society.
... This project-based service learning model adds to the previously listed types of active and integrative learning experiences and is clearly within the scope of CDIO. This hybridization between service learning and project-based learning can have additional impact if open source and collaborative approaches to engineering and its education are also involved and promoted, as recent international "express CDIO" learning experiences have put forward [15], in connection with the "UBORA educational model", described further on in this study as paradigmatic example in BME. ...
... The varied project-based learning activities performed within the first couple of years of UBORA project's endeavors are also briefly discussed and some results illustrated. Besides, the "UBORA e-infrastructure" and the more than 100 open source biodevices concepts and prototypes developed in collaboration by a global community of around 400 users, and shared through such online infrastructure, are also analyzed, focusing on advances since its official presentation [1,15,20]. Finally, some potentials and challenges in the OSMD field are discussed, in connection with the "BME education for all" concept. ...
... In fact, PBL and challenge-based instruction prove very appropriate in BME, not just for organizing single courses and providing an introduction to the medical industry and to medical technology, but also for adequately implementing and being the backbone of whole programmes of studies and for career development, as presented and discussed in an excellent review [22]. Hybridizing PBL with service learning and connecting it with the needs of the developing world, may enhance the learning outcomes and better connect students with a more guided transition to professional practice, especially if the results are shared [1,15,23]. In terms of impact, it is also interesting to mention the process for developing medical technologies proposed by Stanford's Biodesign initiative, both for education and innovation [24]. ...
The engineering design of successful medical devices relies on several key factors, including: orientation to patients’ needs, collaboration with healthcare professionals throughout the whole development process and the compromise of multi-disciplinary research and development (R&D) teams formed by well-trained professionals, especially biomedical engineers, capable of understanding the connections between science, technology and health and guiding such developments. Preparing engineers in general and biomedical engineers in particular to work in the medical industry, in connection with the development of medical devices, is a challenging process, through which the trainee should acquire a broad overview of the biomedical field and industry, a well-balanced combination of general and specific knowledge, according to the chosen specialization, several technical abilities linked to modern engineering tools and professional skills. Besides, understanding that biomedical engineering (BME), may constitute a fundamental resource to achieve global health coverage, biomedical engineers trainees should be made aware of their social responsibility and ethical issues should be always considered in the BME field and in BME education. Ideally, fulfilling the 2030 Agenda, especially as regards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on “Good Health and Well Being” & “Quality Education”, should become the driving context for the biomedical engineers and the biomedical engineering educators of the future. Among the existing teaching-learning methodologies that can be employed for providing such holistic training, project-based learning is presented here and illustrated by means of successful experiences connected to the mentioned SDGs. The great potential of PBL to transform, not only courses on BME, but also complete programmes of studies in BME, and the strategies to connect BME education with the SDGs, are analyzed and discussed in depth. Emerging trends in the field of collaboratively developed open source medical devices (OSMDs) are presented in connection with the concept of “BME education for all”.
... During the first two years of the UBORA initiative, we have performed different teaching-learning activities following OSC-PBL methods, through which the UBORA e-infrastructure has been loaded with medical device concepts, designs and prototyping files, so as to achieve a sort of ''Wikipedia'' of medical devices, through which all the information of innovative medical device projects is openly shared. Among the OSC-PBL experiences developed, we would like to highlight: (a) two UBORA design competitions, the 2017 one focused on ''child and maternal health'' and opened to students from the UBORA consortium partners, the 2018 one focused on ''ageing-related health issues'' and opened worldwide; (b) two UBORA design schools, one in December 2017 carried out at the Kenyatta University (Nairobi, Kenya) [36], one in September 2018 carried out at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy). In these competitions and schools, the CDIO approach was followed-in ''express'' mode for the one-week design schools-starting with medical device concepts and reaching prototypes for trials, and international collaboration has been promoted with the support of open-source software and hardware resources. ...
Several strategies have been proposed for the promotion of successful and sustainable project-based learning (PBL) activities, whose benefits for higher education institutions include: improvements in student learning outcome, given the more holistic learning environments that provide the complex implications of the engineering practice; the engagement of the community of professors, which get involved in a shared dreams environment and increase their mutual communication ; the promotion of technological and research vocations and the enhanced interconnections between academia and industry derived from PBL experiences devoted to solving real societal and entrepreneurial challenges. The incorporation of collaborative creation or collaborative design methods and the use of open-source resources may provide additional benefits to this teaching-learning methodology, by helping to make these experiences more formative, more easily replicable, sustainable and cost-effective. In this study we concentrate on the promotion of active learning experiences linked to collaborative engineering and supported by open-source tools and resources. To this end, we analyze available resources for supporting educators in planning and students in living open-source collaborative PBL (OSC-PBL) experiences. Then, a case of study linked to OSC-PBL in the biomedical engineering field is presented and examined. Finally, lessons learned and current challenges for the future success of these teaching-learning experiences are discussed.
... This project-based service learning model adds to the previously listed types of active and integrative learning experiences and is clearly within the scope of CDIO. This hybridization between service learning and project-based learning can have additional impact if open-source and collaborative approaches to engineering and its education are also involved and promoted, as recent international "express CDIO" learning experiences have put forward (Ahluwalia, 2018). ...
... To this end, during the needs identification phase, so as to select the topics for the medical technology projects to be developed by student teams, contact with different patients associations and clinical areas has been fostered. Besides, connection to open-innovation approaches to medical technology has been supported by proposing students to join the UBORA community, to use the UBORA e-infrastructure as open-source tool for guided medical technology development and to participate in the UBORA design competitions (Ahluwalia, 2018). Furthermore, the involvement of a team of doctors focused on organ transplants and of a couple of associations focused on physical, psychical and sensorial disabilities has been achieved thanks to the proactivity of our students. ...
This study presents an innovative teaching-learning experience, aimed at connecting project-based learning with service learning in the biomedical engineering field. This experience is planned and implemented, coordinately, in two courses devoted to the biomedical engineering field: "Bioengineering Design" and "MedTECH". These courses are respectively included in the Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering and in the Master's Degree in Engineering Management respectively, both at the ETSI Industriales from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM). These courses follow the framework established by the Industriales INGENIA Initiative, which is completely aligned with the spirit of the International CDIO Initiative. Students from both courses collaborate in teams and live through the complete development life cycle of innovative medical devices. In current academic year, the projects from the different groups of students stand out for their extra degree of complexity and for their intimate connection with real medical needs. This has led to a higher degree of realism, motivation and social impact, as a way for continuously improving these courses. The needs and ideas for the different projects on medical devices, which can be considered services for the community, are obtained by systematic interaction with medical professionals from public hospitals, patients and social services operating in the Madrid region. Along the medical device development projects, students from different backgrounds and with varied skills interact, not only with the group of professors acting as mentors, but also with the entities, for which they are providing the services and designs. Besides, students are placed in contact with international initiatives, such as UBORA, a global community operating through an accessible online infrastructure and pursuing the reinvention of the biomedical industry, by promoting collaborative and open-source approaches in the design and development of medical technology. In this context several groups of our students proactively participate in the 2019 UBORA Design Competition, designing medical devices for global health emergencies, in a challenging environment and in connection with the promotion of their understanding of the relevance of engineers for achieving the Global Goals. Main benefits, lessons learned and future challenges, linked to the continuous improvement of these CDIO-inspired courses and to the strategy for connecting project-based learning and service learning, are analyzed. Available results from 2018-2019 are taken into account and discussed with the perspective of a decade devoted to student-centered activities in the biomedical engineering field.
In the past five decades, Nigeria has witnessed a range of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and technology activities within private and public hospitals, research institutions, and a limited number of universities. These have mainly centred on the procurement, installation, and maintenance of medical equipment and devices. Trained technologists and technicians, equipped with relevant skills and certification, have primarily spearheaded these efforts. Consequently, the country has made a minimal contribution to the global knowledge base in BME research. However, academic programmes leading to degrees and dedicated research in BME have recently emerged within Nigerian universities. This article assesses the current state of BME education in the country, including the milestones achieved, ongoing challenges, and prospects for future development. It draws on a critical analysis of the existing literature on BME practices and education in Nigeria as well as the author’s informed perspective. The findings highlight that BME education in Nigeria is yet to match international standards. To further develop these programmes, it recommends that attention focus on seven key areas that have proven instrumental in the development of similar university programmes in developed nations. Strategies are also proposed to foster collaboration among universities, researchers, the health sector, and government entities that would promote interdisciplinary BME education, ultimately enhancing the healthcare delivery system, and research and development (R&D) in Nigeria.
