Medical Sensors and Actuators

The digitalization of medical and health care systems depends on medical devices with perception (i.e., sensing) and control (i.e., actuation) capabilities. To do their work, sensors and actuators require a transduction mechanism, such as that often provided by a mechanical element in the physical sensors. Generally stated, the transduction mechanism converts nonelectrical parameters to electrical ones in a calibrated way. This course covers the definitions and structure of the sensors and actuators with a focus on medical and health care applications. In addition, the course introduces analytical methods and tools for multivariate calibration and evaluation of sensors and actuators.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

The student should have the following outcomes upon completing the course:

Knowledge

• have specialized knowledge to differentiate technologies used for sensors and actuators in medical and health care applications.
• have an advanced technical understanding of the transduction mechanisms and sensory schemes.
• have a good understanding about building a sensor and actuator in specific cases involving medical and health care applications.

Skills

• can categorize sensors and actuators based on their applications.
• can calibrate optical and electrical spectra using multivariate calibration.
• can analyze the performance of sensors and actuators.

General competence

• understands the role of sensors and actuators in medical devices.
• can explain and discus challenges related to sensors and actuators that are applied medical and health care applications to experts and non-experts alike.
• can design a system that is based on sensors and actuators with a specific transduction mechanism.

Topics covered in this course:

• Introduction to sensors and actuators
• Electrochemical sensors and actuators
• Optical sensors and actuators
• Multivariate calibration using optical and electrical spectra
• Evaluation of sensors and actuators for medical and health care applications

Lectures and practical semester exercise. The students work both individually and in groups. The groups normally comprise 3-4 students. The student will supplement the lectures and lab with their own reading.

Practical training

Practical semester exercise.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can attend the exam:

• Semester exercise in a group of 3-4 students. A report between 15-30 pages. The total working load will be approx. 60 hours per student.

Exam autumn 2020 due to Covid-19:

Oral exam.

The exam result can not be appealed.

[Exam earlier:]

Individual written exam, 3 hours.

The exam result can be appealed.

A handheld calculator that cannot be used for wireless communication or to perform symbolic calculations. If the calculator’s internal memory can store data, the memory must be deleted before the exam. Random checks may be carried out.

For the final assessment a grading scale from A to E is used, where A denotes the highest and E the lowest pass grade, and F denotes a fail.

Two internal examiners. External examiner is used periodically.