• Question: is it possible repair people through engineering?

    Asked by bartong0303 to Alex on 17 Jun 2014.
    • Photo: Alex Lyness

      Alex Lyness answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Hey bartong0303,

      Yes it certainly is. Sometimes it’s easy to take the human body for granted as often things in it just work and we don’t ask why! We can see with two eyes, our heart beats 100,000 times a day and we can walk/run or about, all without even thinking about it.

      However, sometimes things don’t work as well. Injuries and/or illnesses cause people problems. Three examples would be blindness, heart attacks and amputations that would all effect a person’s mobility and way of life.

      This is where engineers can help; complex laser eye surgery/repair is only possible with optical engineers, new materials for contact lenses are only possible with polymer engineers/scientists. Minimally invasive surgery that is used to help people after heart attacks is only possible with new tools developed for surgeons BUT by engineers. Finally, new prosthetic arms/legs that help restore function and allow people to live a more normal life is only possible with… yep, you guessed it… engineers!

      There may not be an engineer waiting for you in and ambulance or in a hospital but all the equipment they have designed will be there and hopefully allow nurses, doctors and surgeons to repair the bits that have gone wrong.

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