Leonardo da Vinci, seen here in a self-portrait, has been described as t he epitome of the artist/engineer.[26] He is also known for his studies on human anatomy and physiognomy
The study of the human body, albeit from different directions and for different p urposes, is an important common link between medicine and some engineering disciplines. Medicine aims to sustain, enhance and even replace functions of the human body, if necessary, through the use of technology. Modern medicine can replace several of the body's functions through the use of artificial organs and can significantly alter the function o f the human body through art ificial devices such as, for example, brain implants and pacemakers.[27][28] The fields of Bionics and medical Bionics are dedicated to the study of synthetic implants pertaining to natural systems. Conversely, some engineering disciplines view the human body as a biological machine worth studying, and are dedicated to emulating many of its functions by replacing biology with technology. This has led to fields such as artificial intelligence, neural networks, fuzzy logic, and robotics. There are also substantial interdisciplinary interactions between engineering and medicine.[29][30] Both fields provide solutions to real world problems. This often requires moving forward before phenomena are completely understood in a more rigorous scientific sense and therefore experimentation and empirical knowledge is an integral part of both. Medicine, in part, studies the function of the human body. The human body, as a biological machine, has many functions that can be modeled using Engineering methods.[31] The heart for example functions much like a pump,[32] the skeleton is like a linked structure with levers,[33] the brain produces electrical signals etc.[34] These similarities as well as the increasing importance and application of Engineering principles in Medicine, led to the development of the field of biomedical engineering that uses concepts developed in both disciplines. Newly emerging branches of science, such as Systems biology, are adapting analytical tools traditionally used for engineering, such as systems modeling a nd computational analysis, to the description of biological systems. [31] Art
A drawing for a booster engine for steam locomotives. Engineering is applied to design, with emphasis on function and the utilization of mathematics and science.
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Engineering serves as the calcium of society soc iety today. It continuously strengthens our pre-existing knowledge of design and, as calcium ensures healthy bones and teeth, engineering ensures a healthy and sustainable environment for humankind.
The Importance of Engineering By Guest Blogger | Blogger | Published: 29/03/2010
Adam Symons is the Liberal Democrat PPC for Torridge and West Devon The question on many commentators¶ lips is how the UK can invest in much needed infrastructure for transport and energy, while at the same time deal with the debt fall-out from the credit crunch. The basic truth is that we cannot stand still. The challenges of climate change, greater demand on services due to demographic changes, and scarcity of funds must not allow the UK to stagnate. Already, many parts of Europe Euro pe are far ahead of us in terms ter ms of infrastructure. My belief is that by investing in this infrastructure, we will provide long-term stimulation to the economy, and actually actua lly provide a solid basis for future sustainable growth ± which should be seen as a shift away from consumerism and pollution. po llution. However, there are many barriers barr iers in our way currently. One of these is the lack of engineering skills in the UK economy. It is not to say that they are not there. However, with the scale of o f investment that is required, I fear that we may be short. Bodies such as the CBI have said that the lack of engineers graduating today threaten our future. Much as in teaching, engineers suffer from a lack of µkudos¶ or µsex-appeal¶. µsex-appeal¶. International research shows that the quali qua lity ty of o f education that children get is closely linked to how well regarded the teaching profession is. I think the same could be said about the quality of engineering in this country. It is not valued. My cousin is a tunnel engineer in Europe, and it is seen as a prestigious job. However, here, perhaps because of the overuse of the term µengineer¶, engineers do not have the same professional professional status statu s as other highly trained professionals such as Doctors and Lawyers. Perhaps we need to tighten up the trade description legislation to prevent the bogus use of the term engineer? The challenges I mentioned above, specifically relating to funding can also be tackled through greater use of production engineering. This being the natural home for lean systems thinking and value management, it is time we took a microscope to what we are spending where, and identify better ways of delivering public services. Engineering is not just about building! Engineering can provide many so lutions, not just to the infrastructure issues we have, but also to the remodelling of public services. We need to t o embrace the need for science and engineering 2
within the political field, and recognise it as essential to the long-term well being of any economy.
Top Ten (10) Most Important Engineering Achievements of All Time By: admin Posted: August 17, 2007
Innovation and technology in engineering has made our lives more efficient and enjoyable. From electricity to the internet, some of these engineering achievements have taken countless hours to perfect and many years to implement. It is hard to imagine life without these Top Ten Engineering Achievements listed below:
1. Electricity
Scores of times each day, with the merest flick of a finger, each one o f us taps into vast sources of energy²deep veins of coal and great reservoirs of oil, sweeping winds and rushing waters, the hidden power of the atom and the radiance of the Sun itself²all transformed into electricity, the workhorse of the modern world. 2. Automobile
When Thomas Edison did some future gazing about transportation during a newspaper interview in 1895, he didn't hedge his bets. "The horseless carriage is the co ming wonder," said American's reigning inventor. "It is only a question o f a short time when the carriages and trucks in every large city will be run with motors." Just what kind of motors would remain unclear for a few more years. 3. Airplane
Not a single human being had ever flown a powered aircraft when the 20th century began. By century's end, flying had become relatively common for millions of people, and some were even flying through space. The first piloted, powered, controlled flight lasted 12 seconds and carried one man 120 feet. Today, nonstop commercial flights lasting as long as 15 hours carry hundreds of passengers halfway around the world. 3
4.
Water Supply and Distribution
At the beginning of the 20th century, in the United States and in many other countries, water was both greatly in demand and greatly feared. Cities across the nation were c lamoring for more of it as their populations grew, and much of the West saw it as the crucial missing ingredient for development. At the same time, the condition of existing water supply systems was abysmal² and a direct threat to public health. 5.
Electronics
Barely stifled yawns greeted the electronics novelty that was introduced to the public in mid1948. "A device called a transistor, which has several applications in radio where a vacu um tube ordinarily is employed, was demonstrated for the first time yesterday at Bell Telephone Laboratories," noted an obviously unimpressed New York Times reporter on page 46 of the day's issue. 6. Radio and Television
In the autumn of 1899 a new mode of communication wedged its way into the coverage of a hallowed sports event. Outside New York's harbor, two sleek sailboats²Columbia of the New York Yacht Club and Shamrock of the Ulster Yacht Club in Ireland²were about to compete for the America's Cup, a coveted international trophy. In previous contests the public had no way of knowing what happened on the water until spectators reached shore after the races. This time, however, reports would "come rushing through the air with the simplicity of light," as one newspaper reporter breathlessly put it. 7. Agricultural Mechanization
You often see them from the window of a cross-country jet: huge, perfect c ircles in varying shades of green, gold, or brown laid out in a vast checkerboard stretching to the horizon. Across much of the American Midwest and on farmland throughout the world, these genuine crop circles are the sure sign of an automated irrigation system²and an emblem of a revolution in agriculture, the most ancient of human occupations. At the heart of this transformation is a single concept: mechanization. 4
8.
Computers
You often see them from the window of a cross-country jet: huge, perfect c ircles in varying shades of green, gold, or brown laid out in a vast checkerboard stretching to the horizon. Across much of the American Midwest and on farmland throughout the world, these genuine crop circles are the sure sign of an automated irrigation system²and an emblem of a revolution in agriculture, the most ancient of human occupations. At the heart of this transformation is a single concept: mechanization. 9.
Telephone
"The telephone," wrote Alexander Graham Bell in an 1877 prospectus drumming up support for his new invention, "may be briefly described as an electrical contrivance for reproducing in distant places the tones and articulations of a speaker's voice." As for connecting one such contrivance to another, he suggested possibilities that admittedly sounded utopian: "It is conceivable that cables of telephone wires could be laid underground, or suspended overhead, communicating by branch wires with private dwe llings, country houses, shops, manufactories, etc." 10. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Which of the appliances in your ho me would be the hardest to live without? The most frequent answer to that question in a recent survey was the refrigerator. Over the course of the 20th century, this onetime luxury became an indispensable feature of the American home, a mainstay in more than 99.5 percent of the nation's family kitchens by centur y's end.
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