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Biomedical Instrumentation

By Prof. Varadhan SKM   |   IIT Madras
Learners enrolled: 17
ABOUT THE COURSE:

Biomedical Instrumentation will focus on Biomedical Sensors, Measurements and Instrumentation to detect electrical and non-electrical parameters in the human body. The course will start with an introduction to sensors, principles of sensing, types of sensors. Then the course will focus on Biopotentials, their origin and faithful measurement. Examples from ECG, EMG, EEG and other ExG will be discussed in sufficient depth and detail. Then we move on the GSR, PCG. Then the focus will be on non-electrical parameter measurements such as blood pressure, temperature, volume and flow, respiratory measurement (Sphygmomanometer), cardiac output. Then the focus will shift to Ventilator,Cardiac Pacemaker, Defibrillator, hemodialyser. The final topics will be on safety, standards and regulations in medical devices.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: UG and PG students in Biomedical Engg, Instrumentation Engg and electrical engg.

PREREQUISITES: Basic Electrical Engg, Basic principles of sensing, measurement and transduction

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Medical Devices and MedTech industry
Summary
Course Status : Upcoming
Course Type : Core
Language for course content : English
Duration : 12 weeks
Category :
  • Biological Sciences & Bioengineering
Credit Points : 3
Level : Undergraduate
Start Date : 21 Jul 2025
End Date : 10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends : 28 Jul 2025
Exam Registration Ends : 15 Aug 2025
Exam Date : 02 Nov 2025 IST
NCrF Level   : 4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.


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Course layout

Week 1: INTRODUCTION TO MEASUREMENTS & SIGNAL PROCESSING
Introduction to measurements – Sensors & Transducers, Generalized measurement system- Characteristics of Measurement system, Overview of amplifiers - Gain, bandwidth, input impedance, output impedance. Overview of signal processing - Filtering techniques (low-pass, high-pass,
band-pass, notch filters), Noise sources, and reduction techniques.

Week 2: BASIC SENSOR TYPES AND MOTION MEASUREMENT
Overview of Basic sensor types and their principles- Resistive: Strain gauges, thermistors, Capacitive: Pressure & displacement sensors, Inductive: LVDT, eddy current sensors, Piezoelectric: Force & vibration sensors, Hall Effect: Magnetic field sensors. Measurement of Linear and Rotational movements

Week 3: PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS PART 1: FORCE, AND TEMPERATURE
Measurement of Force & Torque -Load cells, strain gauge based sensors - Applications in prosthetics and rehabilitation. Measurement of Body Temperature - Contact-based sensors: Thermocouples, thermistors -Infrared temperature sensors.

Week 4: PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS PART 2: PRESSURE, FLOW AND VOLUME
Measurement of Pressure - Piezoelectric, capacitive, and strain gauge pressure sensors- Blood pressure measurement techniques (sphygmomanometer, catheter-based). Measurement of Flow & Volume in Arteries, Veins & Tissues - Electromagnetic, ultrasonic, and thermal flow meters - Plethysmography and cardiac output measurement.

Week 5: MEASUREMENT OF BIOPOTENTIAL AND ELECTRODES 
Measurement of Biopotential – Origin of Biopotential – Overview of Biopotential electrodes- Electrode – Electrolyte interface, Electrode-skin interface, types of biopotential electrodes and Recording issues – Motion artifacts and Impedance mismatching.

Week 6: BIOPOTENTIAL MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES PART I
ECG (Electrocardiogram) Measurement - Einthoven’s triangle, standard 12-lead system, Electrode placement and lead configurations. EEG (Electroencephalography) Measurement - 10-20 electrode system, unipolar & bipolar configurations, Brain wave classification (delta, theta, alpha, beta).EMG (Electromyography) Measurement - Signal acquisition and muscle activity analysis.

Week 7: BIOPOTENTIAL MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES PART II
ERG (Electroretinogram) & EOG (Electrooculography) - Eye movement and retinal potential monitoring – unipolar and bipolar mode. GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) & PCG (Phonocardiogram).

Week 8: BIO-AMPLIFIERS AND BIOSIGNAL CONDITIONING
Bio-amplifiers - Need for Bio-Amplifiers, Types of Bio- Amplifiers: Single-ended bio-amplifier, Differential bio amplifier, Right-leg driven ECG amplifier, Filtering & Interference Reduction: Band-pass, notch, and adaptive filtering, Power-line interference reduction techniques, Isolation Techniques: Optical isolation, transformer-based isolation, Amplifier Types:: Isolated DC amplifiers, AC carrier amplifiers, chopper amplifiers

Week 9: MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION PART I
Blood Pressure Measurement (Sphygmomanometer) – Direct and Indirect Methods. Ventilators - Pressure vs. volume controlled ventilators, Sensors in ventilators (flow, pressure, oxygen sensors). Pacemakers - External and implantable pacemakers.

Week 10: MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION PART II
Defibrillators- Monophasic & biphasic defibrillators. Pulse Oximeters - Principle of SpO2 measurement. Hemodialysis Machines- Dialysis process and monitoring parameters.

Week 11: LASER APPLICATION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
LASER- Principle of LASER operation and its characteristics. Types of LASERs – Pulsed Ruby LASER, Nd-YAG LASER – Helium-Neon LASER– CO2 LASER – Semiconductor Laser and their biomedical application. Overview of LASER safety standards – Biological effects, LASER Hazard classification and safety measures

Week 12: ELECTRICAL ISOLATION AND SAFETY STANDARDS
Optical & Electrical Isolation Techniques, Leakage Currents in Medical Devices, Grounding & Protection Mechanisms, Standards for Biomedical Equipment Safety : IEC 60601 (Medical Electrical Equipment Standard), FDA Regulations for Medical Devices, Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) & Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

Books and references

  • [1] John G. Webster, “Medical Instrumentation Application and Design”, John Wiley and sons, New York, 2004 
  • [2] Khandpur R.S, “Handbook of Biomedical Instrumentation”, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, 2003.
  • [3] Tatsuo Togawa, “Biomedical Sensors and Instruments”, CRC Press, Germany, 2011. 
  • [4] John G. Webster, “ The Physiological Measurement Handbook”, CRC Press – Taylor and Francis Group, Newyork, 2015

Instructor bio

Prof. Varadhan SKM

IIT Madras
Dr. Varadhan SKM is an Associate Professor at the Dept of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engg at IIT Madras. His research interests are in neural control of movement, Neuromechanics, Biomechanics, Motor function and motor learning. He teaches courses on Biomechanics, Engg Mechanics, Neuromechanics, Biomedical Instrumentation.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
Date and Time of Exams: November 02, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Madras .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team


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