2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering has played a pivotal role in industrial revolutions, lifestyle transformations and accelerated changes in our society. The “4th Industrial Revolution” is blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds with technology moving from large/stationary systems controlled by keyboards to light wearable (or implanted) devices that allow for new ways of interacting with information. To keep pace with these advancements, biomedical engineering education is shifting towards theory-practice necessities of engineering professions, inclusion of “real-world” problems that respond to society’s needs and greater exposure to digital models, fabrication and programming. To this we emphasize “Innovation” as a quintessential mindset that distinguishes engineers who discover opportunities, draw from multi-disciplinary capabilities to create solutions and create real world value. To advance this mindset in biomedical engineering curricula, we provide a concrete case study of a course designed to emphasize this mindset which may be replicated.
"BME 3113: Wearable Technology Design Studio" combines physiology, embedded engineering and industrial design topics to address innovations within the Wearable Technology ecosystem. Using student-centered pedagogical approaches, the course integrates maker movement principles while fulfilling engineering curriculum requirements, guiding students through model creation, prototyping, and business plan development. The studio format enhances collaboration and innovation to enable students to develop confidence in working with various types of sensors that are the backbone of many wearable devices. In the context of a biomedical engineering program, students are encouraged to create consumer product applications focused on wellness, which may overlap with similar, but highly regulated medical devices.
Offered since 2017, the course has impacted approximately 120 students. The course takes place during a 3-hour studio block which consists of lectures, individual skill-building activities, and group project work. Assessment of learning outcomes for accreditation, student feedback, and instructors' reflections are presented. The course's iterative history, curricular benefits, and best practices for implementation are discussed. Commentary on syllabi, outcomes, logistics, COVID-19 adaptations, and online resources provides insights for programs interested in replicating this innovative approach to biomedical engineering education.