ON SOME PROBLEMS OF BIO-ENGJNEERINC WITH REFERENCE TO INSTRUMENTATION

Abstract

During the last decade an extra-ordinary develop-ment has occurred in the application of physical and engineering principles to the understanding and solution of problems arising in medicine and biology. Develop-ment of bio-instrumentation is. the most ifcportant aspect of bio-engineering. Measurement of such biological quantities as the pressure, temperature, velocity, and constituency of the blood, the capacity, frequency, sounds, and electrical activity of the heart are routine. An attempt has been made,here, to discuss some of the problems of bio-engineering in relation to instrumentation. This has been reali sed by grouping the problems under four headings, namely - 1) Bio-telemetry, 2) Telestimulation, 3) Measurement of physiological variables, and 4) Bio-control systems. Each group is recognized as a "Section". First section incorporates - 1) The telemetry of body temperature, 2) A telemetring system for obtaining information on the motility of internal organs and 3) Tel.emetering the Electrocardiogram of free swimming fish. For body temperature telemetry.$ a Hartley Oscillator Is used as the transmitter and a thermistor Is used as the transducer. As the tamaar tur sensed by the thermistor changes its resistance changes consequently, thereby producing a change in the frequency of oscillation of the transmitter. A radio receiver is used to pick up and (.v) detect the changes in the signal thus transmitted. For securing information on the motility of internal organs a telemetering system using an elongation sensor and an implantable transmitter has been described. This can be used to study the motility of the interna, organs such as stomach, heart, Intestine, bladder, etc.