Biomedical engineering is the science derived from the fusion of medical and engineering concepts for helping doctor's decision making and for medical therapy. The research applications of biomedical engineering are very broad, for example, advanced medical instruments using electrical and mechanical engineering, network and information system for inter and intra hospital communication, artificial organs, medical imaging systems, and medical software using technology based on computer engineering. So, bio-medical engineering is located in the boundary between medical science and engineering. It needs a high level technology. Great investments were made into the biomedical research fields in advanced countries because they are expected to produce high value-added goods in the future. The investments in advanced countries has resulted in revolutionary development in the biomedical research.
In Korea, the Ministry of Science & Technology has recently invested 60 billion won in the development of biomedical technology over the 10 years, and has also planed the 'Medical Welfare-Instrumentation and Technology Development Project' as part of the National Research Project. Besides this, many research institutes and general hospitals are promoting the development of high technical medical instruments by collaborating with the biomedical laboratories in universities.
Biomedical engineering is the research field that directly contribute to human health care and welfare, and have a potential power to develop industrial core-technology in the future. To improve disease prevention, medical decision making, and disease therapy, biomedical engineering based on the fusion of engineering and medicine will play a most important role. For a promising future in biomedical engineering, it is time for harmonious collaboration and integration of the two fields.