Medical Device Design – 2.75, 2.750, 6.4861, 6.4860, HST.552
Each Spring we bring together clinicians, industry partners and MIT faculty, staff and students to prototype new medical devices that address clinical challenges brought to us by clinicians and industry partners. Together we work in small teams and follow a 14-week deterministic design process, drawn from industry best practices, from problem understanding to proof-of-concepts and through their evaluation.
Lectures cover the fundamentals of mechanical and electrical hardware, with short labs serving as skills-builders. We invite guest speakers to share their technical, clinical and healthcare business experiences. We work with our partners to select challenges that are engaging for both young professionals (students) and the project proposers! Past projects have spanned a wide range of electro-mechanical challenges including, for example, surgical tools, a better torniquet, new monitoring technologies and clinical simulators, for research use.
This course meets jointly and is open to Graduate Students, Seniors and Juniors (with permission) from majors across the Institute and fulfills undergraduates’ communications intensive requirement.
Since 2003, this class has become a highly effective mechanism for creating useful prototype devices for researchers, industry and clinicians, fostering new research ideas and collaborations, sharing outcomes with peer reviewed conference and journal papers, and launching alums’ careers in industry, startups, academia and medicine.
Is this a good course for me? – Information for Students – Spring 2023
This year’s syllabus is posted under the Home dropdown, above.
For further questions or information, please reach out to the course staff.
We look forward to welcoming you in Spring 2032!
Do you want to propose a project? – Spring 2023 Project Solicitation – CLOSED
Clinicians and industry sponsors are invited to propose projects for our Spring 2023 course.
Project selection is competitive and selected proposers will be invited to pitch to our students in February.
Proposals are due January 6, 2023.
Call for Proposals Details & Submission Link
We look forward to your submission!
Course Highlights from 2022
Gallery from Past Years
Thank You to Our 2022 Sponsors
We rely on the generosity of our industry friends to inspire the next generation of healthcare leaders.
What should I sponsor this course? – Information
Contact us to join our community 2.75-admin@mit.edu.
Course Media
MIT News
Teaching mechanical engineering in a pandemic – September 2020
Just what the doctor ordered – February 2018
MIT students create new medical devices – January 2013
Smithsonian.com
When Doctors Need New Medical Tools, These Students Are Up To the Challenge – March 2018
IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine
Seven Steps to Innovation – December 2013
Classroom to Clinic: Merging Education and Research to Efficiently Prototype Medical Devices – August 2013
