EEEN40730

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understanding of physical and chemical principles (and associated algorithms, where appropriate) used to measure important biological variables in medical practice and clinical and biomedical research.
2. Ability to select appropriate methodologies to measure blood pressure and flow, gas flow and volume, and kinematics and dynamics of body components according to required measurement precision and tolerable level of invasiveness and risk of injury.
3. Demonstrate ability to acquire and analyse measurements from a biosensor and describe limitations and sources of error of the measurement.
4. Understanding of the principles of operation and limitations of common actuation systems used in biomedical applications.
5. Learn of exciting applications of actuation technologies under development which aim to improve health and quality of life for millions of people.

Indicative Module Content:

Indicative content covered:
* Blood pressure measurement
* Blood flow measurement
* Respiratory gas flow and volume measurement
* Measurement of kinematics (displacement/rotation) and dynamics (force/torque) of body parts and joint angles
* Temperature, heat, and humidity measurement
* Actuator principles (DC, servo, stepper, harmonic, linear, pizeo, pneumatic, tissued-engineered)
* Applications of actuators (prosthetics, exoskeletons, heart assistance/replacement)

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

* Hybrid approach: The module will use a hybrid approach, with pre-recorded video content supported by in-person tutorials and office hours.
* Online video: Online video content will consist of approximately 90 minutes (weekly) of short pre-recorded topic-wise content videos to be watched in advance of the associated tutorial session.
* Tutorials: Tutorial sessions will provide a brief revision the online video followed by group-based problem solving and research, in an active learning space on the UCD main campus. A graded online quiz, available only to tutorial attendees, will be delivered in each tutorial session with the goal of motivating early and continuous engagement with the module content.
* Labs: There will be two practical laboratories relating to selected topics from the module. Lab reports will be graded.

(Generative AI tools may be used to support learning and in some cases (midterm quiz, in-class quizzes, and lab reports) to support assessment. However, appropriate acknowledgement of when and how these tools were used must be submitted along with the work. Such tools will not be allowed in the final exam environment. In general, the usefulness of these tools is extremely limited for this module.)

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Immediate feedback on student performance will be available after in-class continuous assessment quizzes. Individual feedback will be provided when requested by email or during an in-person meeting. Other general feedback on common mistakes will be made to the entire class using announcement via Brightspace. Throughout the practice design project, students will receive guidance/feedback from staff at scheduled laboratory sessions.

Biomedical Sensors and Instruments, Second Edition 2nd edition by Tagawa, Tatsuo, Tamura, Toshiyo, Oberg, P. Ake (2011)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Biomedical-Sensors-Instruments-Toshiyo-Hardcover/dp/B010WF8DYC

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.