Page 207 - Handbook of Deep Learning in Biomedical Engineering Techniques and Applications

Chapter 7 Early detection and diagnosis using deep learning 197

modify the subject. The tools and techniques used by this field have
led to the discovery of medically important drugs and vaccines.
5. Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering forms an amalgamation of civil,
chemical, and mechanical engineering. It takes inspiration from
a variety of sciences to form solutions aiming to preserve the
quality of the environment and human life.
6. Agricultural engineering
This discipline of engineering was developed to improve the
sustainability and efficiency of agricultural practices. It is an
amalgamation of various disciplines such as civil, chemical,
food sciences, and other agricultural principles.

Branches of
Biomedical
Engineering

Medical Human Factors Genetic Agricultural
Bionics
Engineering Engineering Engineering Engineering

1.2.2 Challenges faced by biomedical engineering
Since biomedical engineering tries to form a union between
multiple engineering branches, it comes with its own set of prob-
lems. The combination of technology with biology, despite being
of utmost importance, is not always the easiest task. Further-
more, the research requires expensive equipment, which is not
always possible. Some of the most important issues bioengi-
neering faces are as follows:
1. Privacy
To test medical equipment such as artificial organs, tissues,
sensors, monitoring devices, and imaging devices, sufficient
patient data are needed to achieve effective results. These patient
data are often private, sensitive, and personal such as age, weight,
sex, and race. Patients may not be okay with doctors sharing
these data with biomedical engineers.
2. Ethical dilemmas
Advancements in biomedical engineering have led to the
development of certain groundbreaking technologies such as