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Medical Device Design – 2.75, 6.525 (G-H) | 2.750, 6.025 (UG CI-M) | HST.552 – Spring 2022

Each year we bring together clinicians, industry partners and MIT staff and students to develop 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-concept devices.

This is a senior capstone and graduate-level course, open to students from across the institute with appropriate backgrounds to contribute to the team effort. Devices are typically mechanical or electromechanical and their development often facilitated by an understanding of biology and medicine, brought by IMES / HST students, and students with a strong industry perspective.

Since 2003, this class has become a highly effective mechanism for creating useful devices for researchers and clinicians, fostering new research ideas and collaborations, sharing results via peer reviewed conference and journal papers, and launching alums’ industry careers and even a few startups.

Prospective students – We have prepared a special video introduction and Spring course information page.

Highlights from Spring 2022

Learn more about the efforts of instructors and students during the past year of Teaching mechanical engineering in a pandemic, Sept. 17, 2020, MIT News.


Now offered in Spring Term 2022

This year we are excited to return to in person teaching and have moved the course to the Spring term, to better accommodate Seniors’ schedules, and plan to continue with the Spring schedule. Feedback is welcome.

Information for Students & Course Catalog Listing

Two projects from last year were presented at the 2021 IEEE EMBC (Engineering in Medicine & Biology Conference, ons at the 2021 Design of Medical Devices Confercne and a paper accepted by the ASME Journal of Medical Devices – check out the papers and videos – this represents a 50% success rate on project publication.


2023 Project Solicitation – Standby Please

Clinicians and industry sponsors are invited to propose projects for our Spring 2022 course. Project selection is competitive and selected proposers will be invited to pitch to our students. We look forward to your submission!

Submission for the Spring 2023 cycle is expected to open in October 2023.


Thank You to Our 2022 Sponsors

We rely on the generosity of our industry friends to inspire the next generation of healthcare leaders.
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