Outline

Overview

Biomechatronics is the application of mechatronic engineering to human biology, and as such it forms an important subset of the overall biomedical engineering discipline. This course focusses on a number of areas of interest including auditory and optical prostheses, artificial hearts and active and passive prosthetic limbs and examines the biomechatronic systems (hardware and signal processing) that underpin their operation.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	AMME5790
Academic unit	Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	AMME4790
Prerequisites ?	(MECH3921 OR BMET3921) OR MTRX3700 OR (AMME5921 OR BMET5921 OR BMET9921)
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Knowledge in mechanical and electronic engineering; adequate maths and applied maths skills; background knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology; Some programming capability: MATLAB, C, C++, software tools used by engineers including CAD and EDA packages.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Graham Brooker, graham.brooker@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Graham Brooker, graham.brooker@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Weirong Ge, wege5641@uni.sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Open book)	Final exam Type C	25%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Matlab tutorials MATLAB based signal processing development	20%	Multiple weeks	2 hrs face-to-face + 3 hrs independent
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Quizzes Consolidation of lecture content. Short answers or brief analysis	20%	Multiple weeks	30 to 60 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Lab activities Analysis of data generated by lab experiments	15%	Multiple weeks	3 hrs face-to-face + 3 hrs independent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment Research and Design	20%	Week 09	About 20 hours over most of the semester
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = Type C final exam ?

Assessment summary

Matlab Tutorial: A number of hands-on tutorials will be undertaken in which the students are expected to apply and investigate what they have learned by developing models and software. Tutors will grade the individual submissions from students.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be held at the end of sections to ensure that students have understood the work covered so far
Lab Activities: Weekly individual on-line activities will be held in which students will be required to analyse data from sensing, processing and actuation hardware that illustrates some biomechatronic concepts. Students will submit a completed worksheet at the end of each lab which will be marked by the lecturer and/or tutor
Assignment: The design assignment will take the form of an individual assignment based on student research to develop ideas for a biomechatronic device in stages throughout the first half of the semester as their knowledge and understanding of the subject develops. An individual assignment document will be generated and will be graded by the lecturer to determine how well the students have satisfied the requirements specified in the problem statement. This open ended approach to an assignment allows students more scope to be creative, and throughout the course, creativity and an innovative approach will be encouraged.
Final Exam: Open-book examination. Final assessment will include a number of short-answer questions to assess the student’s knowledge of the basic concepts and an analysis section to test their ability to apply these concepts to solve problems. Note that students will be required to pass the exam, to pass the course.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

25% per day or part thereof to minimise student collusion

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to biomechatronics, hearing	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to Labs	Practical (3 hr)
Week 02	Hearing prostheses	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Measure Foundry - Graphs, Filtering & FFT	Practical (3 hr)
Week 03	Hearing prostheses and cochlear implants	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Cochlear Processing	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Sound Propagation & Mic Analysis	Practical (3 hr)
Week 04	Visual prostheses and sensory substitution	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Cochlear Processing	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Measure Foundry - Mic Measurements	Practical (3 hr)
Week 05	Visual prostheses implants and electrodes	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Sensory Substitution	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Image from Sound	Practical (3 hr)
Week 06	Introduction to the heart, Electrocardiography	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Sensory Substitution	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Image from Sound	Practical (3 hr)
Week 07	Artificial hearts	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	ECG	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Measure Foundry - ECG and Acoustic Processing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 08	Artificial hearts	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	ECG	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Measure Foundry - ECG and Acoustic Processing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 09	Limb prosthetics	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Sphygmo Analysis	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	DICOM procesing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 10	Limb prosthetics	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Sphygmo Analysis	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	DICOM Processing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 11	Respiration	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Fleisch Analysis	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Measure Foundry - EMG Processing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 12	Respiration	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Fleisch Analysis	Computer laboratory (1 hr)
	Acoustic Orthotic	Practical (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment: 1) Independent Study – Approximately three hours of private study per week outside formal contact hours will be expected in order to successfully consolidate the work covered in class. 2) Lecture – Formal face-to-face lectures will be conducted. These will generally be followed by interactive sessions that incorporate student activity and discussion of the material covered formally. 3) Project Work - own time: A design project will be undertaken by the students. This will take the form of ongoing research by the students followed by a report. 4) Laboratory - Students will work individually online to develop andanalyse software based biomechatronic systems.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Graham Brooker, Introduction to Biomechatronics (1). Raleigh, NC, Scitech Publishers, 2012. 978-1-891121-27-2.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. develop a conceptual grasp of the intricate relationship between mind and body which will allow you to evaluate different forms of biofeedback that are used for diagnostics and rehabilitation
LO2. apply specialised engineering skills (mechanical and electrical) to analyse the performance of an active prosthetic device (e.g. prosthetic limb, hearing implant or artificial heart)
LO3. describe the operational principles of a number of implanted and attachable biomechatronic sensors used to monitor and/or stimulate physiological processes including those associated with hearing, seeing, thinking and movement amongst others
LO4. demonstrate an appreciation of the basics of the signal processing required to interpret bioelectrical signals and the ability to develop MATLAB code to perform this analysis.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This course is mature, so the only changes have been those to accommodate on-line teaching and labs due to the COVID restrictions

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

AMME5790: Introduction to Biomechatronics

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect