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Biomedical Engineering

Capstone design projects

Students undertake a major design activity in the undergraduate biomedical engineering program and the Master of Engineering in Biomedical Systems. They work on real-world problems in medicine or industry. 

Project ideas often come from faculty members engaged in biomedical research. They also come from industry partners from the medical field, health authorities or health-based external organizations. Students can select from these projects or work with faculty or partners to propose a project.

Find a project

Students seeking BME499 and MEng Biomedical Systems (BISY) projects can email bme.coord@uvic.ca for a list of possible projects.

Submit a project

Industry partners and faculty researchers who want to collaborate with our students on capstone design projects can submit a proposal.

Past projects

Optimizing Safety & Efficiency: Advancements in a Nalaxone Auto-Injection Device

Team members: Amy, Hannah, Irene, Sara, Syvanna
Supervisors: Dr. Ned Djilali, Dr. Christopher Dennison, Art Makosinski

The project aimed to improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of an auto-injection device developed by a research group at the University of Victoria. The device is designed to be worn on the upper arm. It functions by continuously monitoring one’s SpO2 level, which is an initial indicator of an overdose.

When SpO2 levels drop rapidly compared to baseline levels, the device automatically injects the user with a full dose of Naloxone. This reverses the overdose and allows the user to seek further emergency aid.

The team made significant progress, particularly in the improvement of injecting efficiency, by achieving a detection, needle insertion, injection and needle withdrawal time of ~6 seconds. This is within the incredibly short time range needed for the device to be useful in case of an overdose.

The design needs more work before the device can enter clinical trials. Still, the team felt honored to be part of such an important project. It has the potential to save many lives.

The project won the first-place IEEE Kelly Manning Award in July 2023.

Mouthguard Impact Testing

Team members: Sabrina, Kieran, Kayla, Rudra Aryan, Serena
Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Dennison

At the request of World Rugby and in the absence of a current standardized testing system, the team designed a 3D-printed human jaw model to test the effectiveness of sports mouthguards.

The impact testing used a drop tower. It dropped a mass onto a model that had a piezoresistive sensor on the teeth. The sensor tracked voltage changes and turned them into force measurements. Then, it compared impacts with and without mouthguards.

Innovative Wearable Foot Sensor for Gait Data Collection in Real-World Settings

Team members: Elana, Adriel, Sophie, Coy
Supervisor: Dr. Marianne Black

Gait analysis is key for checking patient status in many diseases. This includes osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

Stride parameter data helps us track and predict disease progression, which supports treatment planning. Currently, gait assessments have some subjectivity. They are done in controlled settings and only last a short time.

Focusing on data collection for research applications, we developed a wearable foot sensor that measures various stride parameters. The sensor connects via Bluetooth to our mobile app, WalkWell. Collecting real-world data over time helps us spot trends in disease progression. This lets us build models that predict how diseases will progress. With this information, we can take action early and help keep individuals “walking well.”

Future work could take a user-centered approach. Our app might alert users to gait problems. It could also give personalized tips to improve gait. This way, users can take steps to boost their gait and overall well-being.