Biomedical engineering challenges students to solve real world problems and assist members of our community.
In ECE’s Biomedical Instrumentation course students do lab projects and open-ended design projects for people with specific, therapeutic needs. In the last few years the open-ended project has been a design proposed and implemented by the students for a person who has a brain or spinal cord injury.
Randy and his rehabilitation therapist visited the Biomedical Instrumentation class to demonstrate the balance problems Randy’s faces as a result of his brain injury. His injury has taken away his sense of balance.
Five teams of students carefully assessed Randy’s needs to determine the best way to assist him with his balance. Different teams took diverse approaches to the problem. Students worked on devices to assist Randy to walk unassisted with confidence as well as devices that provided Randy with a second channel of feedback about his body position to compensate for his loss of the sense of balance.
Global TV reported on the work of Dr. Stocco’s students during The News Hour, May 17, 2011. This story can be watched at minute 21 of the broadcast.