Automation of medical systems - Current techniques, limitations and challenges

Automation of medical systems is a growing multidisciplinary field, comprising techniques that range from modelling to feedforward or feedback control of physiological systems and medical devices. Although, the last decades showed a rapid increase of feedback control applications in aerospace, automotive, mechatronic or process industries, examples for product-available feedback-controlled medical devices are still few. This observation should receive special attention, since it is diametrically opposed to tremendous advances in sensor, actuator and computational technology. The aim of this contribution is to provide insight into modelling and feedback control problems for medical systems. A historical background to medical automation approaches is given firstly, followed by a rigorous structuring of feedback control strategies, needed to classify complexity of subsequently described examples. These examples are taken from currently unsolved control problems used to enlighten sensor, actuator or complexity related challenges. We conclude with the motivation for future research directions introduced to face the indentified challenges.