Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Biomedical engineering: devices for the human body

A semester of engineering for medicine: design a device from users' needs and catch the error a tiny decimal point invites, work out why the biceps pulls nine times the weight in your hand, choose between titanium, polyethylene and ceramic for a hip, read a heart rate off an ECG and filter out the hum, pick the right scan for a broken wrist or a torn ligament, and size a pacemaker battery. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Designing for the human body

    Explain the branches of biomedical engineering, the medical device design process and FDA risk classes, and apply human factors principles to prevent use errors.

    • What biomedical engineers do
    • The design process for medical devices
    • Human factors and use errors
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Biomechanics

    Compute joint torques, muscle forces, stress and strain in bone and loads on a hip, and explain stress shielding and fatigue.

    • Levers and muscles
    • Stress, strain and bone
    • Gait and joint replacement
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Biomaterials and tissue engineering

    Compare metals, polymers and ceramics for implants and explain how tissue engineering combines cells, scaffolds and signals.

    • What makes a material biocompatible
    • Metals, polymers and ceramics in the body
    • Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Signals and sensors

    Compute heart rate from an ECG, choose sampling rates and filters, and explain how pulse oximeters and wearables sense the body.

    • The body's electrical signals
    • Sensors and wearables
    • Cleaning up a signal
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Medical imaging

    Compare X-ray, CT, ultrasound, MRI and PET, compute ultrasound depths and radiation dose comparisons, and choose a method for a case.

    • X-rays and CT
    • Ultrasound
    • MRI and nuclear imaging
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Devices that restore function, and the road to patients

    Evaluate prosthetics, organ-support devices and low-resource designs, and compute spring energy, infusion rates, battery life and test durations.

    • Prosthetics and assistive technology
    • Devices that support organs
    • Testing, approval and global design
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Ultrasound

Worked example: depth from an echo

  1. An echo returns 65 microseconds after the pulse, which is 0.000065 seconds.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High SchoolAlso for Academics · Middle School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of biomedical engineering: you can turn user needs into testable requirements and tell verification from validation, spot a design-induced use error, compute joint torques, muscle forces and stress in bone, explain stress shielding and fatigue, choose implant materials, explain how tissue engineering works and where it stops, compute heart rate from an ECG and a safe sampling rate, match filters to noise, compute ultrasound depth and compare radiation doses, choose an imaging method for a case, and size a pacemaker battery or an infusion rate. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like both biology and building things, students thinking about engineering, medicine, physical therapy or health technology, and homeschool families who want a full semester that ties physics and biology together. Home activities use paper, rulers, tape and a phone's built-in sensors.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the Middle School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the middle school Biomedical Engineering Exploration title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. OpenStax, College Physics 2e, the chapters on statics and torque, elasticity, medical applications of nuclear physics and ultrasound: openstax.org
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, device classification, 510(k), De Novo and premarket approval, and the 2021 safety communication on pulse oximeter accuracy: fda.gov
  3. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, science education pages on imaging, tissue engineering and sensors: nibib.nih.gov
  4. RadiologyInfo.org, from the Radiological Society of North America and the American College of Radiology, radiation dose in X-ray and CT exams: radiologyinfo.org
  5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, hemodialysis: niddk.nih.gov

Biomedical Engineering is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester biomedical engineering elective but does not replace a school course or supervised lab work and awards no credit. Example numbers in worked problems, including doses, forces and battery ratings, are labeled as examples or typical values. Lessons about the body, imaging and medical devices are science and engineering education, not medical advice. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.