TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

Course Outline (F2026)

BME777: Emerging Topics in Biomedical Engineering

Instructor(s)Tien Le [Coordinator]
Office: TBA
Phone: TBA
Email: tien.loc.le@torontomu.ca
Office Hours: [Virtual] Thursday 1-2 pm
Calendar DescriptionThis course will introduce students to emerging areas in biomedical engineering with specific topics geared towards current trends. The course is structured to be a technical elective i.e., the content may change from year to year depending on the specific topics covered in the course and may be taught by one or more instructors. Students may be required to undertake a major project.
PrerequisitesBLG 601, BLG 701, BME 406, BME 423, BME 501, BME 506, BME 516, BME 632, BME 639, BME 674, BME 634, and MTH 410
Antirequisites

None

Corerequisites

None

Compulsory Text(s):
  1. R. O. Duda, P. E. Hart and D. G. Stork, Pattern Classification, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2002. ISBN: 0-471-05669-3.
  2. Class lecture materials where applicable.
Reference Text(s):
  1. Raghupathi, Wullianallur, and Viju Raghupathi. Big data analytics in healthcare: promise and potential. Health Information Science and Systems 2.1 (2014): 3.
  2. Luo, Jake, et al. Big data application in biomedical research and health care: A literature review. Biomedical informatics insights 8 (2016): 1.
  3. Ram, Sudha, et al. Predicting Asthma-Related Emergency Department Visits Using Big Data. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics 19.4 (2015):1216-1223.
  4. Jain, Anil K., Robert P. W. Duin, and Jianchang Mao. Statistical pattern recognition: A review. IEEE Transactions on pattern analysis and machine intelligence 22.1 (2000): 4-37.
Learning Objectives (Indicators)  

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. Understand the core principles of robotic technology and the various roles that robotics can play in healthcare and the approaches used to control and guide such robots. (1d)
  2. Design controllers for robot motion control based on hardware constraints and application requirements. (4c)
  3. Calculate the Jacobian matrix and analyze singularities and statics of robotic manipulators. (5a)
  4. Assess the economic impact of automation and choice with regards to manipulator type and its application in medicine. (11b)
  5. Learn state-of-the-art software tools for modeling, control, and simulation of robotic systems and explore their application. (12b)

NOTE:Numbers in parentheses refer to the graduate attributes required by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).

Course Organization

3.0 hours of lecture per week for 13 weeks
2.0 hours of lab per week for 12 weeks
0.0 hours of tutorial per week for 12 weeks

Teaching AssistantsAjay Singh, Email: ajay.banwait.singh@torontomu.ca
 Alysha Prem, Email: alysha.prem@torontomu.ca
Course Evaluation
Theory
Midterm Exam 25 %
Final Exam 45 %
Laboratory
Labs 20 %
Project 10 %
TOTAL:100 %

Note: In order for a student to pass a course, a minimum overall course mark of 50% must be obtained. In addition, for courses that have both "Theory and Laboratory" components, the student must pass the Laboratory and Theory portions separately by achieving a minimum of 50% in the combined Laboratory components and 50% in the combined Theory components. Please refer to the "Course Evaluation" section above for details on the Theory and Laboratory components (if applicable).


ExaminationsMidterm exam in Week 7, open book (covers Weeks 1-6).
 Final exam, during exam period, open book (covers Weeks 1-13).
Other Evaluation InformationLabs: TA(s) will be available only during the scheduled Lab sessions for consultations and evaluation of demos.
 
 
Teaching MethodsIn-person lectures.
Other InformationLecture and laboratory schedules are tentative and subject to change. Consult D2L for updates.
 Labs and Project are single student individual course components.
 Project: From week 11-13, students will execute queries on synthetic and/or real world data using big data tools and perform simple pattern classification and/or statistical analysis. Details of project requirements/report format will be discussed in the class.

Course Content

Week

Hours

Chapters /
Section

Topic, description

1

3

Ch 1: ALL

Introduction: Big Data Health Analytics Predictive Analytics Machine Learning ML Design Cycle


2-4

7

Ch 2: 2.1-2.6, 2.9 (exclude 2.3.1 & 2.3.2)

Bayesian Decision Theory


4-8

10

Ch 5 & 6: 5.1-5.6, 5.8, 6.1-6.5, 6.8 (exclude 5.5.3, 5.6.2, 5.8.2-5)

Linear Discriminant Functions & Multilayer Neural Networks


8-10

8

Ch 9 & 10: 10.1-10.4, 10.6, 10.9, 10.13, 9.1-9.5 (exclude 9.5.3-4, 10.9.3-4)

Unsupervised Learning Clustering Component Analysis and Algorithm Independent Machine Learning


11

2

Ch 7: 7.5, 7.5.1 (exclude 7.5.2-3)

Evolutionary Methods Genetic Algorithm


11-12

4

Seminar(s)

Health Analytics & Big Data [Guest Lecture(s)].


13

3

Ref Text: 3

Big Data/ML BME Application - Case study from literature & Course Review


Laboratory(L)/Tutorials(T)/Activity(A) Schedule

Week

L/T/A

Description

1-2

Introduction

Introduction: Data Analysis using MATLAB

3-4

Lab 1

Bayesian Decision Theory

5-6

Lab 2

Linear Discriminant Functions

7-8

Lab 3

Multilayer Neural Networks

9-10

Lab 4

Unsupervised Learning & Algorithm-Independent Machine Learning

11-13

Project

Details of project requirements will be discussed in the class

University Policies & Important Information

Students are reminded that they are required to adhere to all relevant university policies found in their online course shell in D2L and/or on the Senate website

Refer to the Departmental FAQ page for furhter information on common questions.

Important Resources Available at Toronto Metropolitan University

Academic Program Advising Contacts

Visit the Electrical, Computer and, Biomedical Engineering department's faculty page for contact information.

Lab Safety

Students are to strictly adhere and follow:

  1. The Lab Safety information/guidelines posted in the respective labs,
  2. provided in their respective lab handouts, and
  3. instructions provided by the Teaching Assistants/Course instructors/Technical Staff.

During the lab sessions, to avoid tripping hazards, the area around the lab stations should not be surrounded by bags, backpacks etc, students should place their bags, backpacks etc against the walls of the labs and/or away from their lab stations in such a way that it avoids tripping hazards.

Accessibility

Please see the Toronto Metropolitan University's Accessibility website for the university's statement on accessibility.

Academic Accommodation Support

Academic Accommodation Support (AAS) is the university's accessibility services office, supporting students with disabilities. AAS works with students, faculty, and staff to create inclusive learning environments, reduce barriers, and promote accessibility across the university.

If you have (or suspect you may have) a disability, AAS can provide consultation, guide you through registration, develop accommodation plans where appropriate, and connect you with supports and services. For information about eligibility, documentation requirements, registration, deadlines, and available services, visit AAS.

Academic Accommodations (for students with disabilities) and Academic Consideration (for short-term extenuating circumstances) are governed by different university policies. Learn more about each process and how to access support. Students registered with AAS may request academic consideration (related or unrelated to their disability) if they experience extenuating circumstances that impact their ability to meet their shorter term academic obligations. This includes short term physical or mental health issues that are sudden/acute (e.g, the flu), unexpected illness or injury, hospitalization or treatment, and significant aggravation of a pre-existing condition. Please see Policy 167: Academic Consideration for more information and details.

Please note that there is no accommodation for missing/rescheduling or reweighting of tests - this is considered an alternate arrangement. Any student who misses a test/exam will be directed to submit an ACR to explore if possible alternate arrangements under Policy 167: Academic Consideration can apply .

Wellbeing Support

At Toronto Metropolitan University, we recognize that things can come up throughout the term that may interfere with a student’s ability to succeed in their coursework. These circumstances are outside of one’s control and can have a serious impact on physical and mental well-being. Seeking help can be a challenge, especially in those times of crisis.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 and go to the nearest hospital emergency room. You can also access these outside resources at anytime:

If non-crisis support is needed, you can access these campus resources:

We encourage all Toronto Metropolitan University community members to access available resources to ensure support is reachable. You can find more resources available through the Toronto Metropolitan University Wellbeing Central website.