A Hands-On Course Teaching Bioinstrumentation through the Design and Construction of a Benchtop Cardiac Pacemaker

We have developed a bioinstrumentation course that emphasizes practical application of engineering and biological concepts by having students focus on the development of a single biomedical device: a cardiac pacemaker. In creating their benchtop pacemaker, students learn about and design sensing circuitry, data acquisition and processing code, control system algorithms, and stimulation electronics. They also gain an understanding of cardiac anatomy and electrophysiology. The separate elements of the pacemaker created throughout the semester will be repeatedly tested, re-designed, and integrated with one another, culminating in an emulated pacemaker whose efficacy will be tested on North American bullfrogs. It is hypothesized that the hands-on learning in this course, coupled with the practical application of concepts in the context of a single biomedical device, will enhance students' skills in bioinstrumentation design.