IITM BS Biomedical Electronic Systems (EE5104): Syllabus and Tips

Biomedical Electronic Systems (EE5104) is a 4 credit department elective at the degree level of the IITM BS Electronic Systems programme. It covers electronics that record signals from the body, electronics that stimulate nerves and muscles, and implanted devices such as pacemakers, cochlear implants and retinal implants. The handbook lists no prerequisite.

The Sep 2025 syllabus gives the credit pattern 4-0-0-4. The ES handbook lists the same code as a degree level department elective, but prints no credit value next to it. It says the 5 department electives add up to 20 credits, which is 4 each. The syllabus does not name an instructor for this course.

What you learn in Biomedical Electronic Systems

The syllabus has 5 modules and no week plan. For each device, it covers two things: how the body part works or fails, and how the electronics are designed. The modules group into four parts.

1. Module 1: recording signals from the body. Where ECG, EMG, EEG and action potentials come from, and their electrical features. Biopotential amplifiers and the contact between electrode, tissue and circuit. Where noise and interference come from, and how to design systems and circuits that reduce them.
2. Module 2: stimulating cells. The basics of electrically stimulating nerves and muscles, and the settings that control a stimulus. Electrochemical safety and tissue safety. How stimulator circuits and electrodes are designed.
3. Module 3: implants in general. Sending power and data to an implant without wires, using inductive, RF or optical links. The rules and standards implants must meet, and designing for safety and compatibility with the body.
4. Modules 4 and 5: specific devices. Heart devices: pacemakers and defibrillators, with the heart rhythm problems they treat. Nerve implants: cochlear implants for deafness, deep brain and vagus nerve stimulators, and retinal implants for blindness.

The textbooks are "Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design" by John G. Webster (4th edition), and "Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach" by Plonsey and Barr (3rd edition). The reference is "Implantable Medical Electronics" by Dennis Fitzpatrick.

How the course is assessed

The syllabus does not describe grading. The handbook's general pattern for ES courses is weekly online assignments, two in-person quizzes and an in-person end term exam, with details in each course's grading document. No lab is paired with this course.

Where it counts

It is one of 8 courses on the ES department elective list. You take 5 of them, worth 20 credits, for the BS degree. It is not part of any ES minor. See the full list in ES degree level courses.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

ES admission asks for Maths and Physics in Class 12, not Biology, so many students start with little biology. Terms like action potential, fibrillation or auditory nerve can slow you down more than the circuits do. The other challenge is that safety rules shape every design decision, which is new if you are used to pure circuit problems.

• Learn basic nerve and heart physiology early. The first chapters of the Plonsey and Barr textbook are a good start.
• Revise instrumentation amplifiers and common-mode rejection. You build one in Experiment 1 of the Sensors and Applications Lab, and Module 1 depends on the same idea.
• Revise filters and noise. Analog Circuits (EE3107) has a full module on noise if you take it first.
• Keep a glossary with one line per medical term and one line on what the electronics must do about it.

What to take before and after

Before: Sensors and Applications (EE3103) from the diploma, which ends with medical measurement systems, and its lab. Useful alongside: Analog Circuits for amplifier design and noise, and Power Management for Electronic Systems for low-power supply design. None of these is a formal prerequisite.

Common questions

Do I need a biology background for this course?

The handbook lists no prerequisite, so no biology course is required. The syllabus does teach the physiology behind each device, but reading ahead on nerves and the heart will make the first weeks easier.

Will I build a medical device in this course?

No lab or project is listed for this course. The syllabus covers the design principles of recording, stimulating and implanted devices, not a build.

Is Biomedical Electronic Systems offered every term?

The handbook says core courses run every term. It does not say this for electives, so check the course list when registration opens.