Applications of Bioengineering in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is a field that deals with anything that moves, and that includes the human body. In order for them to understand the mechanical system of a body, they must first learn about its materials, control, instrumentation, and design. They then apply these to subjects or fields such as biomechanics, robotics, and bionics. These are examples of subjects or fields where bioengineering and mechanical engineering meet and apply the principles of one another.
Biomechanics is considered to be the science of the movement of a living body. It includes how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to create motion (Rogers, 2019). It is one of the rapidly growing areas of scientific exploration. It represents the the connection between mechanics and biological group. It does not limit to the human body. It also encompases animals, and even plants.
One of the applications of biomechanics is in sports. It is used to analyze the movements of individuals. The data gathered is then used by the coaches to further improve and develop their movement and use their capabilities to the maximum. It can also be used to design assistive materials such as sports equipment and clothing that will help the user efficiently maximize their movements. Aside from these, it can also be applied to studying the causes, treatment, and prevention of injuries caused by movement.
Biomechanics applies mechanical principles to the human body in order to understand the mechanical influences on bone and joint health. Bones must be able hold up the forces loading the joints which are generated by muscles and transmitted by tendons. Developments in the field of biomechanics contributed to the development of medical diagnostic and treatment procedures. Its principles is used as the basis for of medical implants and orthotic devices and has enhanced physical therapy practices.
Bionics is the science of creating artificial systems that have some characteristics of living systems. It is the replication of biological systems by means of mechanical and electronic systems. It uses living models to in order to develop new ideas for useful and artificial machines. Bionics does not directly copy the details of how these organisms work, instead they understand the principles of why it works in nature that way. Some examples of bionics applications are prosthetics. Prosthetics are artificial parts of the body which imitates its function but does not replace it. They are just mere assistive products which aids the function of a specific part in a living body.
Robots are pieces of technology which can be programed to move, make noise, light up, and follow instructions as directed. With the help of having an understanding regarding biomechanics, engineers have already developed biologically inspired robots. These robots are more flexible and have greater mobility compared to that traditional once. These are made possible due to what we call biorobotic technology. It often aims to provide assistance to accommodate a deficiency as highly advanced prosthetics.
Aside from this, there is also a wide variety of robots being developed to be of help in the medical field. This includes surgical robots and rehabilitation robots. Through surgical robots, minimally-invasive procedures are being widespread across tthe globe. This means faster healing, and quicker recovery for the patients.
