Biomedical Instrumentation: How electrical engineering can cure you

The interaction between electrical engineering and bio-medicine can be traced back centuries to the discovery that muscles work with electrical pulses. However, these early experiments did not lead to direct medical applications. The era of microelectronics has brought many new medical applications, from devices to improve the quality of life, such as hearing aids, to live saving devices for the operating theatre.MicroelectronicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Surface functionalisation of SU8 vertical waveguide for biomedical sensing: Bacterial diagnostis

In this paper, we present an SU-8 based evanescent waveguide with a vertical structure as a biomedical sensor. The waveguide is designed vertically to generate evanescent waves on both left and right surfaces for sensing. It is fabricated by E-beam lithography with only one-step process which has the advantage of a better surface quality compared with commonly used dry etching methods. Furthermore, fabrication time and cost is cut down greatly. The surface of the designed waveguide can be functionalized with antibodies to immobilize specific bacteria on it. After surface functionalization and incubation with E.coli solutions of different concentrations, the waveguides absorption was measured. The results demonstrate that the waveguide is sensitive to E.coli concentration changes. In addition, tapers were designed and added to the waveguide to relieve the alignment tolerance for the aim of making a plug-and-play bedside diagnostic system.Bio-Electronic

In-vivo microsystems: A review

In-vivo sensors yield valuable medical information by measuring directly on the living tissue of a patient. These devices can be surface or implant devices. Electrical activity in the body, from organs or muscles can be measured using surface electrodes. For short term internal devices, catheters are used. These include cardiac catheter (in blood vessels) and bladder catheters. Due to the size and shape of the catheters, silicon devices provided an excellent solution for sensors. Since many cardiac catheters are disposable, the high volume has led to lower prices of the silicon sensors. Many catheters use a single sensor, but silicon offers the opportunity to have multi sensors in a single catheter, while maintaining small size. The cardiac catheter is usually inserted for a maximum of 72 h. Some devices may be used for a short-to-medium period to monitor parameters after an operation or injury (1–4 weeks). Increasingly, sensing, and actuating, devices are being applied to longer term implants for monitoring a range of parameters for chronic conditions. Devices for longer term implantation presented additional challenges due to the harshness of the environment and the stricter regulations for biocompatibility and safety. This paper will examine the three main areas of application for in-vivo devices: surface devices and short/medium-term and long-term implants. The issues of biocompatibility and safety will be discussed.Bio-Electronic

Integrated MEMS: Opportunities & Challenges

Micro-elektronicaElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Biomimetics: Learning From Nature To Make Better Sensors

Nature has been the inspiration in art for centuries. In the 19th Century there were a number of attempts to copy nature and apply the ideas to engineering. Unfortunately, this was often done without understanding the details of operation of the natural systems. In some cases engineering successes were based on natural systems without the inventor realising. In more recent years there has been a more detailed investigation of natural systems with the aim to learn from them and build improved sensors. Once again it is important to learn about the mechanisms and not try to copy directly. This paper will discuss a number of natural systems and how they can be implemented in both sensors and actuators.MicroelectronicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Real-time Thermographic Object Tracking of the Body Temperature of a Neonate

Neonates can show sudden rapid body movements when they are in pain, need care, or need to be fed. They can also be very quiet and immovable or move very slowly when they are asleep or being fed. Monitoring a neonate's body temperature for a long time provides physicians and nurses valuable information about the health condition of the baby. Thermographic technology is a remote and very safe way to measure an accurate neonate's body temperature to monitor his/her vital signs. However, the tracking of an elastic thermographic profile of a subject with a random and erratic movement in the short- and long-term is a challenging task. The combination of the real-time thermographic detection and tracking system provides a safe and more robust non-invasive method to measure the vital signs and monitor the physiological changes of the neonates over time. However, this method can also be used for other target age groups.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Biomechatronics & Human-Machine ControlBio-Electronic

Accurate Body Temperature Measurement of a Neonate Using Thermography Technology

One of the important measured vital signs in neonates is the body temperature. The traditional measurement uses adhesive pads, but medical staff are hindered by connectors attached to the infant. Remote infrared thermal imaging techniques provide a non-intrusive and safe method to measure body temperature. By means of the thermography technology, it is possible to monitor the variations and trends in the body temperature, which is more reliable, faster, less stressful than traditional methods. Measuring body temperature of a moving neonate remains a challenge. Moreover, factors like humidity, thermal lens forming through the incubator portholes, thermal noise from inside and outside the incubator, camera position and limited Field of View through the incubator portholes, etc. could disrupt a reliable measurement. This study will focus on developing a technique that measures neonates' body temperature accurately in an incubator. By eliminating unwanted external factors, continual measurement of a Region of Interest (ROI) become more feasible from which trends become available for the techniques like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning or Deep Learning. Moreover, this method reduces stress and discomfort for the infant. The outcome of this study is more accurate and the temperature profile of a geometric shapes or ROI over time provides a valuable input to the physicians or nurses to provide higher quality care.Accepted Author ManuscriptBiomechatronics & Human-Machine ControlBio-Electronic

Bio-Remote Sensing in Predicting Infection in Neonates With Thermal Imaging and Machine Learning

Premature birth complications have different causes and vary in different parts of the world with sepsis as one of the leading causes of these complications. The body releases anti-inflammatory substances when an infection is detected and this, in turn, could damage healthy organs, especially when they are not fully developed. Preterm babies are susceptible to diseases due to their underdeveloped organs and immune systems. Hence, it is extremely important to treat sepsis as soon as the baby is diagnosed. Neonatal sepsis is a dangerous nonspecific disease in babies, and it is a clinically very difficult and challenging task to diagnose. Late or incorrect treatment of infants' sepsis can lead to death which is one of the most causes of mortality rate in neonates. In the traditional treatment of sepsis, the needed time and accuracy for diagnosis are still very concerning, considering the number of involved risks in late diagnosis or mistreatment of sepsis cases. Thus, the need for having a fast and reliable algorithm with high accuracy to predict sepsis before clinical recognition would help the doctors to treat the neonates in time and to reduce the mortality rate related to sepsis. This paper presents a fast, accurate, and reliable thermographic Bio-Remote Sensing approach to predicting sepsis in neonates and discusses the significance of combining the Thermal Imaging technique with Machine Learning (ML). At the same time, it provides a more practical and desirable solution for physicians by minimising the traditional diagnosis time and maximizing the accuracy of the prediction needed to detect sepsis in neonates.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Biomechatronics & Human-Machine ControlBio-Electronic

Towards All-Polymeric Cochlear Implant Micro-Electrode Arrays

This paper shows that PEDOT:PSS is an excellent material for all-polymeric cochlear implant micro-electrode arrays. Initial experiments have shown a high conductivity of 230 S/cm for PEDOT:PSS samples, which dramatically decreased to 0.48 S/cm after 3 hours of UV treatment. Electrical characterisation of PEDOT:PSS electrodes reveals that its maximum charge injection capacity is 15 times higher than that of platinum, the electrode material used in commercial cochlear implants. These experiments demonstrate that PEDOT:PSS is an excellent candidate material for cochlear implants, both as micro-electrode and insulating layer.Bio-Electronic