2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

INTRODUCTION: The increasing aging population and focus on preventative medicine have led to a growing demand for physical therapy and wearable technology [1]. The wearables market, projected to grow from $28.2 billion in 2021 to $66.9 billion by 2030 [2], includes technology that facilitates physical therapy exercises at home, leading to better health outcomes for compliant patients. This industry is poised to incorporate advanced technologies, necessitating support from biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineers are uniquely positioned to develop innovative solutions at the intersection of science and medicine. To equip them with the necessary skills, it is crucial to provide opportunities for hands-on learning during their undergraduate education. This paper presents a newly developed three-course medical device design series (Course 1, Course 2, Course 3) aimed at training biomedical engineering students through progressively complex projects addressing unmet needs in physical therapy. The courses employ the educational concept of scaffolding, offering extensive guidance initially and gradually transferring responsibility to the students.
COURSE SEQUENCE STRUCTURE: Course 1 introduces the fundamentals of medical device design, focusing on physical rehabilitation and assistive devices through prescriptive lectures, homework, and labs. Students undertake four projects, culminating in the development of a prototype for a client with a recent surgery. Course 2 is an intermediate course emphasizing electro-mechanical design and advanced prototyping skills. Students complete three projects, including reverse engineering a musculoskeletal joint and developing solutions for joint-related problems, with guidance from physical therapy students. Course 3 focuses on advanced prototyping and manufacturing techniques, with projects addressing specific physical therapy needs. Students complete two projects, one individually and one as part of a team, involving interviews with physical therapists, clinicians, and patients to develop solutions for various conditions.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of these courses is assessed through surveys conducted before, during, and after each course. Preliminary results from Course 2 indicate positive student feedback, with 87% reporting a high or moderate positive impact from educational videos and materials produced by physical therapy students. Additionally, 100% of students valued Project 1, and 67% highly valued the final project. Anecdotal evidence from alumni suggests that the courses prepare students to make immediate contributions to projects and provide valuable information critical to success in the medical device industry. Future work will focus on collecting and analyzing more data to support these findings. Preliminary findings are encouraging, highlighting the benefits of this approach in teaching medical device design and fostering strong interdisciplinary collaboration.