Biomedical Manufacturing: A New Frontier of Manufacturing Research

Abstract

A new frontier of manufacturing research, biomedical manufacturing, is presented. Advanced manufacturing technologies, such as manufacturing processes, systems, and quality control, can be readily applied to improve the safety, quality, cost, efficiency, and speed of healthcare service and biomedical research. The analogy of the hospital as a factory is explored to broadly and inclusively define biomedical manufacturing. Characteristics and engineering needs of biomedical manufacturing are discussed. Examples of the grinding and cutting of plaque in interventional cardiology and laparoscopic surgery on minimizing the nerve tissue thermal damage in surgery are presented to demonstrate the broad spectrum of biomedical manufacturing. On education, the scope and pedagogy for teaching a new senior undergraduate∕first-year-graduate level course in Biomedical Design and Manufacturing are discussed.