New Course Proposal - ENSC 372-4 Biomedical Instrumentation

Calendar Information

Course Number: ENSC 372

Course Title: Biomedical Instrumentation

Credit Hours: 4

Vector: 3-0-2 (lecture-tutorial-lab)

Course Description

Instrumentation techniques for measuring common physiological signals.  Bioelectric and biochemical sensors.  Biostimulation.  Electronic design issues: electrical safety, signal conditioning and protection against noise, digital signal acquisition.  Live subject ethical considerations.  Laboratory work to include use of data acquisition packages in conjunction with various sensors, as well as design and construction of a full signal acquisition chain, from sensor to RAM. 

Prerequisites:  ENSC 320, ENSC 380 and KIN 308

Recommended: None

Corequisite: None

Rationale for Introduction of This Course

This is an essential course in any credible Biomedical Engineering curriculum.  It has two linked objectives:

• It develops students’ understanding of common biosensors and measurement methods, ones used in research, assistive devices and hospital work. 
• As well, it addresses the design of safe instrumentation for human and animal bodies, with the goal of developing both electronic design ability and bench-level skills. 

Will this be a required or elective course in the curriculum; probable enrolment when offered?

This is a required course for all Biomedical Engineering students.  Probable enrolment: 30 per year.

Scheduling and Registration Information

Indicate Semester and Year this course would be first offered and planned frequency of offering thereafter.

First offering to be Spring 2008.  Annually thereafter in the Spring semester.

Which of your present CFL faculty have the expertise to offer this course? Will the course be taught by sessional or limited term faculty?

The course will normally be taught by a tenure-track faculty member, to be hired.  During that member’s sabbatical years, the course can be team-taught by a member from Engineering (e.g., Dr. A. Leung or P. Leung) and a member from Kinesiology (e.g., Dr. P. Bawa or Dr. T Milner) 

Are there any proposed student fees associated with this course other than tuition fees?

No.

Is this course considered a `duplicate' of any current or prior course under the University's duplicate course policy? Specify, as appropriate.

No.

Resource Implications

Note: Senate has approved (S.93-11) that no new course should be approved by Senate until funding has been committed for necessary library materials. Each new course proposal must be accompanied by a library report and, if appropriate, confirmation that funding arrangements have been addressed.

Provide details on how existing instructional resources will be redistributed to accommodate this new course. For instance, will another course be eliminated or will the frequency of offering of other courses be reduced; are there changes in pedagogical style or class sizes that allow for this additional course offering.

We will hire a tenure-track faculty whose research area will accommodate teaching of this course.  The funding source will be DTO.  During the faculty member’s sabbatical years, the course can be team-taught by existing faculty members, one from Kinesiology and one from Engineering Science.

Does the course require specialized space or equipment not readily available in the department or university, and if so, how will these resources be provided?

New equipment is needed for the laboratory portion, primarily a multichannel data acquisition unit (four channels are sufficient), single-chip computer boards and selected sensors.

Does this course require computing resources (e.g. hardware, software, network wiring, use of computer laboratory space) and if so, describe how they will be provided.

The computing resources it requires exist in Engineering Science. 

Course Outline

This course has two linked objectives.  It develops students’ understanding of common biosensors and measurement methods.  As well, it addresses the design of safe instrumentation for human and animal bodies, with the goal of developing both electronic design ability and bench-level skills. 

Topics:

• The nature of bioelectric potentials. 
• Biosensors, including EEG, ECG, EMG, cardiovascular pressure
• Sensors for body fluids: blood oximetry, concentration of ions, molecules, cells.
• Biostimulation.
• Electrical safety issues: grounding; low voltage design.
• Signal conditioning: protection from noise and interference; amplification; analog filtering.
• Analog to digital conversion: grounding and reference voltages; interrupt handling; foreground/background programming.
• Bioresearch ethics.

Some sensors will be demonstrated in the lecture or in field trips.  Others form part of the laboratory.  If time permits, instructors may introduce additional sensing modalities; for example:

• Ultrasound for mechanical properties of tissues. 
• Electromagnetic radiation, including near infrared.

Projects/Laboratory Work

The laboratory is intended to give students experience in the full chain of processing, from the biosignal, through digital memory, to processed display, where the results can be compared with models of the biosystem being measured.  Lab exercises:

• EMG/EEG/ECG measurement: sensors, signal conditioning, A/D conversion to digital memory using a digital controller;
• Use of multichannel analyzer and signal processing/display package; comparison of measurements and models;
• Blood pressure and flow measurements;
• Muscle stimulation.

Grading

Grading will consist of Midterm (20%), Final (25%), weekly assignments (10%) and laboratory (45%).

Texts:

          John G. Webster (ed.), Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, Third Ed., Wiley 1998.

          J.D. Bronzino (ed.), Biomedical Engineering Handbook, CRC Press, 1995