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Medical engineering requires an understanding of the human body, its structure and function in health, disease, dysfunction and with disability. This module will provide you with a conceptual background to aspects of human biology that are key in the use of healthcare technologies. We will therefore focus on some fundamental principles, such as metabolism and signalling between cells within organs and between systems and then focus specifically on systems of primary relevance in biomedical engineering, including the musculo-skeletal, cardio-vascular, respiratory and neuro-sensory systems, as well as the skin – the interface for many healthcare technology interventions. We will consider function in health and in some common impairments due to disease or injury and highlight the patients’, carers and clinician’s perspective of the condition. We will also consider the use of, or potential for, healthcare technology interventions in these conditions.

Behind every successful healthcare technology is a deep understanding of the human body. This module introduces the biological principles that underpin medical engineering, helping you understand how engineering solutions interact with human physiology in health and disease.

You will explore how the body's cells, tissues and organ systems function, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous and sensory systems, as well as the skin. Along the way, you will examine how injury, disease and disability affect these systems and consider the challenges faced by patients, clinicians and carers.

Drawing on real healthcare applications, you will investigate how medical technologies are used to diagnose, monitor and treat disease, developing an appreciation of how engineering and biology work together to improve patient care. By the end of the module, you will have the biological knowledge needed to support the design, evaluation and application of future healthcare technologies.

This module explores human evolution in the context of expanding and contracting populations. We shall review the evolutionary landscape and the big questions that face archaeologists. We shall cover the hominin fossil record, learning about the major species and genera, and how successive expansions, contractions and extinctions of hominid species can be related to their behaviours and ecologies. To set this rich record into a broader context, we shall set out useful frameworks taken from “small world societies” (both other primates and modern hunter-gatherers). We shall also explore how environmental and climatic conditions have been reconstructed for the period of our global deep history (focussing on 6 million to 10,000 years ago). These frameworks give us the opportunity to explore the importance of mobility and other adaptive mechanisms in coping with very different ecological conditions. Hominins (our ancestors and their relatives) start to be found outside Africa nearly two million years ago, and are found over much of the Old World by one million years ago. We became a truly global species (colonising Australia, the Americas and Pacific) long after our own species had developed its trademark big brain. Were the colonisations of early prehistory a purposive process or the result of luck, technological breakthroughs and people pushed by climate to find new territories? The answer is critical for deciding the capabilities of our ancestors and for deciding how different or similar they were to us.

This module explores human evolution in the context of expanding and contracting populations. We shall review the evolutionary landscape and the big questions that face archaeologists. We shall cover the hominin fossil record, learning about the major species and genera, and how successive expansions, contractions and extinctions of hominid species can be related to their behaviours and ecologies. To set this rich record into a broader context, we shall set out useful frameworks taken from “small world societies” (both other primates and modern hunter-gatherers). We shall also explore how environmental and climatic conditions have been reconstructed for the period of our global deep history (focussing on 6 million to 10,000 years ago). These frameworks give us the opportunity to explore the importance of mobility and other adaptive mechanisms in coping with very different ecological conditions. Hominins (our ancestors and their relatives) start to be found outside Africa nearly two million years ago, and are found over much of the Old World by one million years ago. We became a truly global species (colonising Australia, the Americas and Pacific) long after our own species had developed its trademark big brain. Were the colonisations of early prehistory a purposive process or the result of luck, technological breakthroughs and people pushed by climate to find new territories? The answer is critical for deciding the capabilities of our ancestors and for deciding how different or similar they were to us.

The success of an engineering system depends not only on its technical performance, but also on how well it meets the needs, capabilities and limitations of the people who use it. From aircraft cockpits and healthcare technologies to consumer products and industrial workplaces, human factors play a vital role in designing systems that are safe, effective and intuitive.

This module introduces the principles of human factors engineering and explores how engineers design technologies, environments and organisations around the people who interact with them. You will examine how physical, cognitive and organisational factors influence human performance and develop the ability to evaluate engineering systems from a user-centred perspective. Along the way, you will strengthen your skills in critical analysis, systems thinking and evidence-based design.

By the end of the module, you will understand how human factors contribute to the safety, usability and performance of engineering systems, equipping you to incorporate human-centred design principles into a wide range of engineering applications.

This module provides an introduction to the role human factors in Engineering. It demonstrates how the characteristics and capabilities of people can be taken into account to optimise the design of
things used by people, the environments in which they live and work, and the organisation of systems.

The success of an engineering system depends not only on its technical performance, but also on how well it meets the needs, capabilities and limitations of the people who use it. From aircraft cockpits and healthcare technologies to consumer products and industrial workplaces, human factors play a vital role in designing systems that are safe, effective and intuitive.

This module introduces the principles of human factors engineering and explores how engineers design technologies, environments and organisations around the people who interact with them. You will examine how physical, cognitive and organisational factors influence human performance and develop the ability to evaluate engineering systems from a user-centred perspective. Along the way, you will strengthen your skills in critical analysis, systems thinking and evidence-based design.

By the end of the module, you will understand how human factors contribute to the safety, usability and performance of engineering systems, equipping you to incorporate human-centred design principles into a wide range of engineering applications.

The success of an engineering system depends not only on its technical performance, but also on how well it meets the needs, capabilities and limitations of the people who use it. From aircraft cockpits and healthcare technologies to consumer products and industrial workplaces, human factors play a vital role in designing systems that are safe, effective and intuitive.

This module introduces the principles of human factors engineering and explores how engineers design technologies, environments and organisations around the people who interact with them. You will examine how physical, cognitive and organisational factors influence human performance and develop the ability to evaluate engineering systems from a user-centred perspective. Along the way, you will strengthen your skills in critical analysis, systems thinking and evidence-based design.

By the end of the module, you will understand how human factors contribute to the safety, usability and performance of engineering systems, equipping you to incorporate human-centred design principles into a wide range of engineering applications.

The success of an engineering system depends not only on its technical performance, but also on how well it meets the needs, capabilities and limitations of the people who use it. From aircraft cockpits and healthcare technologies to consumer products and industrial workplaces, human factors play a vital role in designing systems that are safe, effective and intuitive.

This module introduces the principles of human factors engineering and explores how engineers design technologies, environments and organisations around the people who interact with them. You will examine how physical, cognitive and organisational factors influence human performance and develop the ability to evaluate engineering systems from a user-centred perspective. Along the way, you will strengthen your skills in critical analysis, systems thinking and evidence-based design.

By the end of the module, you will understand how human factors contribute to the safety, usability and performance of engineering systems, equipping you to incorporate human-centred design principles into a wide range of engineering applications.

The success of an engineering system depends not only on its technical performance, but also on how well it meets the needs, capabilities and limitations of the people who use it. From aircraft cockpits and healthcare technologies to consumer products and industrial workplaces, human factors play a vital role in designing systems that are safe, effective and intuitive.

This module introduces the principles of human factors engineering and explores how engineers design technologies, environments and organisations around the people who interact with them. You will examine how physical, cognitive and organisational factors influence human performance and develop the ability to evaluate engineering systems from a user-centred perspective. Along the way, you will strengthen your skills in critical analysis, systems thinking and evidence-based design.

By the end of the module, you will understand how human factors contribute to the safety, usability and performance of engineering systems, equipping you to incorporate human-centred design principles into a wide range of engineering applications.