Tips for an ME moving industries

[bellx1]

Hi.
I'm switching industries from vehicle engineering to bioengineering. I had some questions and was looking for basic guidance to get me started the right way.

First and foremost, whats the specific difference between bioengineering, biomechanical and biomedical? I see the terms used a lot but sometimes interchangeably it seems.

Secondly which categories are good for a mechanical engineer/manufacturing engineer?

And lastly is there any industry wide material or books I should read that will give me more information?

Thanks in advance!

http://www.compositescentral.net

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hi,

I'm certainly no expert but I can take a crack at the definitions:

bioengineering implies the process of engineering (as a verb) biology, such as crop yields or carbon sequestration

biomedical is broad and implies chemistry and pharmacology, so...drugs

biomechanical drills down a bit into medical devices, implants, and instruments

Biomechanical is great for a mechanical (yep), especially as most schools still don't have a good set of coursework for it, and "biomed" programs are often skewing towards medical degrees.

Manufacturing background could help in any of them though, everything has to be mass-produced at some point, although it probably depends where you are located for how relevant that is to you.

There aren't really any broad trade journals for the technical side - AAMI is close but still a bit niche - checking out some medical journals wouldn't hurt, just look for "biomechanic" studies.

 

[rstupplebeen]

In my experience generalized biomechanics texts and courses are focused on hips and knees. I personally work with eyes but the overall concepts are applicable. The biggest things to understand is:
1. every person is different
2. infinite number of use conditions
3. materials of different organs or regions behave widely different
4. difficult to instrument (strain gauges...)

Judging my your signature your career will look remarkably similar to mine. I analyzed composite Naval vessels, designed and analyzed composite military helmets. Now I design and analyze contact lenses and prosthetics.

During the interview process make sure to stress that the skills that you have used in the past will be directly applicable and that you will provide a new perspective. Also, if your industry is highly regulated like areospace or automotive it seems to put people at ease that you will be able to deal with medical device regulations. Knowing the basics of FDA requirements such as the DHF Design History File will help greatly.

I hope this helps.

Rob Stupplebeen

https://sites.google.com/site/robertkstupplebeen/

 

[IRstuff]

I think they are all somewhat interchangeable. There are the prosthetics described above, as well as a variety of medical instrumentation as well as medical delivery systems, such as ingestible cameras, mechanical hearts, insulin pumps, and stents.

The basic concept is straightforward; any mechanical structure that repairs, monitors, or modifies the body fits the bill.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
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[zubaj]

Good answers Jabberwocky and RStupplebeen. Technical skills can be easily transferred from one industry to another. What's difficult to teach is anatomy, physiology, FDA rules and regulations, and quality systems. Anything you can do to get a leg up in those areas will help alot.