EW184001

Introduction to Electrical Technology:

Biomedical Engineering
Norma Hermawan, Ph.D.
Developments of Engineering Discipline
Holtzapple and Reece, 2003
Branches of Physics
History of Electricity
Biomedical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineers apply electrical, chemical, optical, mechanical, and
other engineering principles to understand, modify, or control biological
systems.

• Involves more than development of medical devices.

• Interdisciplinary branch of engineering that is heavily based in both

engineering and the life sciences.
Reference
Introduction to
Electricity
Electricity
Movement of electrons
Invisible force that provides
light, heat, sound, motion . . .
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Elements - The simplest form of matter

Atoms - Smallest piece of an element containing all of

the properties of that element
Electricity
Components at the Atomic Level
of an
Atom
Nucleus
The center portion of
an atom containing the
protons and neutrons
Protons
Positively charged
atomic particles
Neutrons
Uncharged atomic
particles
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Flow
Electricity is created as electrons collide and transfer from atom to atom.

Play Animation
Conductors and Insulators
Conductors Insulators

Electrons flow easily Electron flow is difficult

between atoms between atoms

1-3 valence electrons in 5-8 valence electrons in

outer orbit outer orbit

Examples: Silver, Examples: Mica, Glass,

Copper, Gold, Aluminum Quartz
Conductors and Insulators
Identify conductors and insulators

Conductors Insulators
Electrical
Circuit
A system of conductors and components forming a complete path for
current to travel

Properties of an electrical circuit include

Voltage Volts V
Current Amps A
Resistance Ohms Ω
Current
The flow of electric charge
- measured in AMPERES (A)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

When the faucet (switch) is off,

is there any flow (current)?
NO
When the faucet (switch) is on,
is there any flow (current)?
YES
Current in a Circuit

off on

When the switch is off, there is no current.

When the switch is on, there is current.
Current Flow
Conventional Current assumes
that current flows out of the
positive side of the battery,
through the circuit, and back to Conventional
the negative side of the battery. Current
This was the convention
established when electricity was
first discovered, but it is
incorrect!
Electron Flow is what actually
happens. The electrons flow out
of the negative side of the Electron
battery, through the circuit, and Flow
back to the positive side of the
battery.
Engineering vs. Science
The direction that the current flows does not affect what the
current is doing; thus, it doesn’t make any difference which
convention is used as long as you are consistent.
Both Conventional Current and Electron Flow are
used. In general, the science disciplines use Electron
Flow, whereas the engineering disciplines use
Conventional Current.
Since this is an engineering course, we will use
Conventional Current .

Electron Conventional
Flow Current
Voltage
The force (pressure) that causes
current to flow
- measured in VOLTS (V)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

When the faucet (switch) is off, is there any pressure (voltage)?

YES – Pressure (voltage) is pushing against the pipe, tank, and
the faucet.
When the faucet (switch) is on, is there any pressure (voltage)?
YES – Pressure (voltage) pushes flow (current) through the
system.
Voltage in a Circuit

off on

The battery provides voltage that will push

current through the bulb when the switch is on.
Resistance
The opposition of current flow
- measured in Ohms (Ω)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

What happens to the flow (current) if a rock

gets lodged in the pipe?
Flow (current) decreases.
Resistance in a Circuit

off on

Resistors are components that create resistance.

Reducing current causes the bulb to become
more dim.
Multimete
r
An instrument used to measure the properties of an electrical
circuit, including

Voltage Volts

Current Amps

Resistance Ohms
Measuring Voltage
Set multimeter to the proper V range.
Measure across a component.

Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
Measuring Current
Set multimeter to the proper A DC range.
Circuit flow must go through the meter.

Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
Measuring Resistance
Set multimeter to the proper Ohms range.
Measure across the component being tested.
Power must be off or removed from the circuit.
Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
Ohm’s Law
Current in a resistor varies in direct proportion to the
voltage applied to it and is inversely proportional to the
resistor’s value
The mathematical relationship between current, voltage,
and resistance

If you know 2 of the 3 quantities, you can solve for the third.
Quantities Abbreviations Units Symbols
Voltage V Volts V
Current I Amperes A
Resistance R Ohms Ω

V=IR I=V/R R=V/I

Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

Solve for V
V
I xR
V=IR
Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

Solve for I
V
I=V/R
I R
Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

Solve for R
V
R=V/I
I R
Example: Ohm’s Law
The flashlight shown uses a 6 volt battery
and has a bulb with a resistance of 150 .
When the flashlight is on, how much
current will be drawn from the battery?
Schematic Diagram
IR
V
+
VT = VR I R
-

VR 6V
IR = = = 0.04 A = 40 mA
R 150 
Circuit Configuration
Components in a circuit can be connected in one
of two ways.
Series Circuits Parallel Circuits

• Components are connected end- • Both ends of the components are

to-end. connected together.

• There is only a single path for • There are multiple paths for current
current to flow. to flow.

Components
(i.e., resistors, batteries, capacitors, etc.)
Kirchhoff’s Laws
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL):
The sum of all of the voltage drops in a
series circuit equals the total applied voltage

Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL):

The total current in a parallel circuit equals
the sum of the individual branch currents
Series Circuits
A circuit that contains only one path for current flow

If the path is open anywhere in the circuit, current

stops flowing to all components.
Series Circuits
Characteristics of a series circuit

• The current flowing through every series component is equal.

• The total resistance (RT) is equal to the sum of all of the
resistances (i.e., R1 + R2 + R3).
• The sum of all of the voltage drops (V R1 + VR2 + VR3) is equal to
the total applied voltage (V T). This is called Kirchhoff’s Voltage
Law.

VR1
IT + -

+ +
VT VR2
- -

- +
RT
VR3
Example: Series Circuit
For the series circuit shown, use the laws of circuit theory to
calculate the following:
• The total resistance (RT)
• The current flowing through each component (IT, IR1, IR2, &
IR3)
• The voltage across each component (VT, VR1, VR2, & VR3)
• Use the results to verify Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law.
VR1
IT + -

+ IR1 +
VT IR2 VR2
- IR3 -

- +
RT
VR3
Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Total Resistance:
RT = R1 + R2 + R3
RT = 220  + 470  + 1.2 k 
RT = 1900  = 1.9 k

Current Through Each Component:

VT
IT = (Ohm's Law) V
RT
I R
12 v
IT = = 6.3 mAmp
1.89 k

Since this is a series circuit:

IT = IR1 = IR2 = IR3 = 6.3 mAmp
Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Voltage Across Each Component:
VR1 = IR1  R1 = (Ohm's Law)
VR1 = 6.349 mA  220 Ω = 1.397 volts

VR2 = IR2  R2 (Ohm's Law) V

VR2 = 6.349 mA  470 Ω = 2.984 volts I R

VR3 = IR3  R3 (Ohm's Law)

VR3 = 6.349 mA  1.2 K Ω = 7.619 volts

Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Verify Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law:

VT = VR1 + VR2 + VR3

12 v = 1.397 v + 2.984 v + 7.619 v
12 v = 12 v
Parallel Circuits
A circuit that contains more than one path for
current flow

If a component is removed, then it is possible

for the current to take another path to reach
other components.
Parallel Circuits
Characteristics of a Parallel Circuit

• The voltage across every parallel component is equal.

• The total resistance (RT) is equal to the reciprocal of the sum of
the reciprocal:

1 1 1 1 1
= + + RT =
• The sum of all RofT the
R1 currents 1 1 (I 1 + I + I ) is
R 2 R 3 in each branch
+ + R1 R2 R3
equal to the total current (I T). This is called
R1 RKirchhoff’s
2
R 3 Current
Law.

IT

+ + + +
VT VR1 VR2 VR3
- - - -

RT
Example Parallel Circuits
For the parallel circuit shown, use the laws of circuit theory to
calculate the following:
• The total resistance (RT)
• The voltage across each component (VT, VR1, VR2, & VR3)
• The current flowing through each component (IT, IR1, IR2, &
IR3)
• Use the results to verify Kirchhoff’s Current Law.
IT

IR1 IR2 IR3

+ + + +
VT VR1 VR2 VR3
- - - -

48
RT
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Total Resistance:
1
RT =
1 1 1
+ +
R1 R2 R3
1
RT =
1 1 1
+ +
470  2.2 k 3.3 k

RT = 346.59 = 350 
Voltage Across Each Component:
Since this is a parallel circuit :
VT = VR1 = VR2 = VR3 = 15 volts
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Current Through Each Component:
VR1
IR1 = (Ohm's Law)
R1

VR1 15 v
IR1 = = = 31.915 mA=32 mA
R1 470 

VR2 15 v
IR2 = = = 6.818 mA = 6.8 mA
R2 2.2 k 

V V
15 v
IR3 = R3 = = 4.545 mA= 4.5mA
R3 3.3 k 
I R

VT 15 v
IT = = = 43.278 mA = 43 mA
RT 346.59 
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Verify Kirchhoff’s Current Law:

IT = IR1 + IR2 + IR3

43.278 mA=31.915 mA+6.818 mA+4.545 mA

43.278 mA (43 mA) = 43.278 mA (43mA)

Combination Circuits
Contain both series and parallel arrangements

What would happen if you removed light 1? light

2? light 3?

2 3
Electrical Power
Electrical power is directly related to
the amount of current and voltage
within a system.

P = I •V
Power is measured in watts
History of Medicine and
Biomedical Engineering
Early History of Medicine and
BME

• Primitive healers drilled holes in skulls to gain access to

brain - patients (sometimes) survived.
• Based on interrelationships between supernatural and
health.
• Egypt, 3000 BC - concepts and practices recorded on papyri
and stored in tombs.
• Recorded observations and results.
Early History of Medicine
Antiquity (650 BC - 200 AD)

• Aesculapius - Greek god of healing. Son of Apollo. May have been

based on a real person.

• By 1000 BC, Aesculapia, temples of the healing cult, were among

the first hospitals.

• Hippocrates - 460?-370? BC. Collector of remedies and techniques

that existed up to his time. Began to replace superstition with
diagnostic observation and clinical treatment. “Disease - natural
process.”
Early History of Medicine
Antiquity (650 BC - 200 AD)

• Romans - contributed to public health with sewer systems and

aqueducts. Army medical service.

• Galen - 130?-200? AD. A Greek who was the greatest physician in

the history of Rome. Wrote more than 300 books of anatomical
observations. Misleading anatomy based on animal dissections.

• Evolution of modern hospital began with rise of Christianity. Major

contribution of monasteries.
Early History of Medicine
Antiquity (650 BC - 200 AD) - Medieval Ages (200 -
1450)

• Constantine I (335 AD) closed all pagan temples of healing and

established hospitals in every cathedral city. Houses for travelers
and sick.

• Church became repository of medical information when Roman

Empire collapsed. Medical research stagnated for almost 1000
years (Dark Ages: 476 AD - end of 10th century).

• Hospital system spread during Crusades, end of 11th to end of 13th

century. Most were custodial institutions. Institution to be feared
and shunned.
Early History of Medicine
Medieval Ages (200 - 1450)

• scientific development decreased, as religious and spiritual

developments increased

• Arab scholars the scientific investigations of antiquity from

disappearing by translating works from Greek to Arabic.
Early History of Medicine
Renaissance (1450 - 1600)

Renaissance and Reformation - 15th and 16th centuries. Study of

human anatomy advanced by artists: Michelangelo, Durer, Vesalius
and da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci
(1452- 1519)
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian
Renaissance
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian
Renaissance
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian
Renaissance
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) Italian
Renaissance
Early History of Medicine
Renaissance (1450 - 1600)

• Henry VIII - King of England, 1509-1547. Supported establishment

of the College of Physicians, oldest purely medical institution in
Europe.

• New medical schools - Salerno, Bologna, Montpelier, Padua, and

Oxford. Embraced Hippocratic doctrine - disease is a natural
process.

• Galileo - visited Padua in 1592 and lectured on mathematics to

medical students. Invented thermometer in 1596.

• Sanctorius - student of Galileo who made comparative studies of

human temperature and pulse
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) Scientific Revolution
Early representation of skeletal structures using engineering terms
Early History of Medicine
Renaissance (1450 - 1600)

• Urban centers began to expand.

• Two major hospitals in London, St. Bartholomews (founded 1123,

refounded in 1544) and St. Thomas, began a policy of admitting and
attending to only those patients who could possibly be cured.
Early History of Medicine
Scientific Revolution (1690-1730)

• William Harvey - graduated from Padua and applied Galileo s laws

of motion and mechanics to problem of blood circulation.
Announced discovery of blood circulation at St. Bartholomew s
Hospital in London in 1619.

• Giovani Borelli applies structural engineering concepts to the

description of the musculoskeletal system during different human
and animal postures and movements
Giovani A. Borelli (1608-1679) Scientific
Revolution
History of Medicine and BME
Enlightenment (1730 1800)

• Development of the mechanical philosophy and specific research

areas after definition of Newton s Laws.

• Focus on investigation of movement and motion.

• The mechanical philosophers of this period also include: Euler, d

Alembert, Lagrange, Bernoulli.
History of Medicine and BME
The 19th Century

• Biology became diversified into specialized fields of study.

• Development of sport and leisure during the late 18th century

renewed the scientific interest in human and animal locomotion.
History of Medicine and BME
The 19th Century

• Hospitals began to benefit patients in 1800s thanks to Florence

Nightingale who introduced hygienic standards into military
hospitals during Crimean War (1855).

Imagine what would it have been like -

1. To have appendicitis before antibiotics and anesthesia?
2. To have a broken bone set before X-rays?
History of Medicine and BME
The 20th Century

• The 20th century is characterized by technological developments

resulting from two World Wars, increased population, interest in
sport, and support of medical developments.

• Development of interdisciplinary research in Biomedical fields.

• Biomechanics became an independent discipline. Biomechanics

lead to the development of Biomedical Engineering as a university
field and academic degree.
History of Medicine and BME
The 20th Century

• cinematographic studies of human motion under different

environmental conditions, early 20th century
Changing Role of Hospitals
Examples for Specialty Areas in
BME
• Medical Instrumentation and Biosensors

• Biomedical Computational Analysis

• Biotechnology

• Biological Signal Analysis

• Medical Imaging

• Physiological Modeling

• Clinical Engineering

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetic Devices

Who is a Clinical Engineer ?
An engineer who has graduated from an accredited academic
program in engineering and is engaged in the application of scientific
and technological knowledge developed through engineering
education and subsequent professional experience within the
health care environment in support of
• direct patient care
• maintenance and support of medical systems
• research in the clinical setting
• teaching in the clinical setting
• public service activities for enhancing patient
care
What is Rehabilitation Engineering ?
[1]
The application of science and technology to ameliorate the
handicaps of individuals with disabilities.

* Many individuals who say that they practice rehabilitation

engineering are not engineers by training.

Rehabilitation (assistive) technology is the selection, design, or

manufacture of assistive devices that are appropriate for an
individual with a disability.
What is Rehabilitation Engineering ?
[2]
Work in a team setting in collaboration with physical and
occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, physical
medicine specialists, and/or neurologists.
 Some are concerned with activities of daily living.
 Others focus on mobility and limitations to mobility within a home or
office or in the public arena.
 Others deal with sensory disabilities, e.g. sight or hearing, or with
communications disorders.
Roles of Biomedical Engineers [1]
• Problem Solvers - work on solving problems identified by life
scientists, physicians, clinical engineers or biomedical design
engineers.

• Must understand the biological situation.

• Technological entrepreneur - examines some portion of the medical

or biological front and identifies areas in which the application of
advanced technology can offer new solutions.

• Biomedical design engineers in industry:

must market inventions to medical community

Roles of Biomedical Engineers [2]
• Engineering Science - applies engineering concepts and
techniques to the investigation and exploration of biological
processes.

• Seeks new knowledge.

• Develop models and simulations.

• Usually found in industrial research labs and academic

institutions.
Professional Societies - Objectives
• encourage international contacts amongst scientists

• promotes the distribution of knowledge by publication of

 scientific peer reviewed journals
 scientific magazines
 proceedings of scientific meetings
• forms contacts with national organizations
Professional Societies
BMES
• Biomedical Engineering Society

• Founded in Illinois, 1968.

• Web Site: http://www.bmes.org/

The purpose of the society is: to promote the increase of

biomedic engineering knowledge and its utilization"
Professional Societies
ISB
• The International Society of Biomechanics

• Founded in Penn State University, 1973

• Web Site: http://www.isbweb.org/

The purpose of the society is: promote the study of all

areas of biomechanics at the international level"