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[January 2007] This one-day seminar held on 30 November 2006 showcased real-life applications of computational engineering methods (Finite Element and Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods) to the Medical Engineering Field. It was demonstrated how these powerful numerical techniques can assist medical engineers to design, develop and improve the performances of medical devices and drugs through presentations from such diverse organizations as AstraZeneca, The University of Sheffield, The University of Southampton, Cardiff University, ABAQUS, Fluent Europe, FIRST Numerics, Physica, Simpleware and DCA Consultant International.

Applications presented ranged from the development of drug delivery systems, the complete product lifecycle management in the design and testing of artificial limbs, the generation of computer models from medical images (Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the performance predictions of knee joint replacements, the modelling of damage to biological tissues during traumatic events, cardiac mechanics to European initiatives such as the Virtual Physiological Human (Europhysiome Project).

This event, which was the first of its kind organised by the Medical Engineering division of the IMechE was very well attended and attracted consultant engineers, students, academic researchers and representatives from software and biomedical companies. The day offered an excellent opportunity to foster cross-discipline networking and collaborations and was indeed a success as the majority of delegates said they would attend it again and would recommend it to colleagues.

Based on the very positive feedback received from the participants, lecturers and exhibitors, the event will take place again in 2008 and will, no doubt, showcase the terrific advances of computational techniques and present a wider range of applications of computer simulations to the Medical Engineering field.