This first-of-its-kind course aims to educate students on the biomechanical properties of soft tissues (such as the skin and brain) from the head to toe. The techniques to study soft tissue characteristics experimentally and computationally will be discussed in detail. The state-of-the-art of mechanical testing of cadaveric soft tissues will be presented. Also, the design and development of soft tissue mimics or simulants will be described, which will allow mechanical testing in the future to be conducted without any ethical or biosafety concerns. Practical tools such as finite element modelling (FEM) and digital image correlation (DIC) will be introduced and detailed case studies will be presented to investigate global and local soft tissue mechanics. Hyperelastic characterization models will be presented for modelling of soft tissue properties and their reproducible use worldwide. Tissue injury and failure, and medical device-tissue interactions will be studied, and a range of applications of soft tissue mechanics will be presented. The knowledge will be valuable for biotech and biomedical engineers, doctors, medical device manufacturers, biomaterials and biosciences researchers.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Students in PG programs in Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Biosciences, Biology, Healthcare, Material Science, Applied Mechanics
INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Mainly a wide range of companies working on medical devices and healthcare product development.