Biomedical optomechatronics is a novel multi-disciplinary science that aims to integrate optical, electronic, mechanic, mechanoelectronic, optoelectronic, and materials fields in order to develop bio-medical instruments for use in life sciences and clinical medicine. Optomechatronic techniques and tools are becoming more widely available solutions for dealing with difficult clinical treatment and therapeutic issues. Some applications of biomedical optomechatronics that are in use today include machines for minimally invasive surgery, disease monitoring devices, laser therapy components, and diagnostic medical imaging devices.
Although optomechatronic engineering is increasingly receiving attention from the medical community, there is presently a lack of qualified and trained biomedical optomechatronics specialists. To address this situation, the Graduate institute of Biomedical Optomechatronics (GIBOM) has been established under the College of Biomedical Engineering at Taipei Medical University in 2016. It is our aim at GIBOM to provide students with a broad, flexible, internationally-oriented education rooted in engineering, biological sciences, and medicine.
GIBOM has two main training components. Classroom and research lab will focus on pursuing innovative and impactful research, while academic-industry collaboration will give students the opportunity to develop practical technologies for medical imaging, clinical detection, home care, and prevention medicine. After graduation, GIBOM students will have both the academic background and professional skills necessary to seek employment as highly qualified biomedical engineers and scientists. On the other hand, Research and teaching at the GIBOM is multidisciplinary, including mechanical-electrical engineering, mechanical-optical engineering, and optoelectronic engineering, where the corresponding fields can be linked to bioelectromagnetics, bioMEMS and biosensing, cell mechanics and bio mechanical-optical sensing, as well as software development for biooptoelectronic devices, respectively. Furthermore, by integrating different functional 2D nanomaterials into all fields mentioned above, these novel technologies are beginning to find biomedical applications in smart textiles and wearable products.