Students in park (c) Jonas Kron

Institute of Medical Engineering Schweinfurt

(Competence Centre Mainfranken)

Ignaz-Schön-Str. 11
97421 Schweinfurt
Phone +49 9721 940-8768
Fax +49 9721 940-6363
E-mail: norbert.strobel@thws.de
https://www.thws.de/imes

Head of the institute
Prof. Dr. Norbert Strobel

Deputy head
Prof. Dr. Jan Hansmann

Staff
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Benedikt Keßler
Dr. rer. nat. Reiner Schnettler
Ying Zhao, M. Sc.
Julian Pfister, M. Eng.

Organisation

The Institute of Medical Engineering Schweinfurt (IMES) is embedded as a central institution in the Competence Centre Mainfranken of the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt. With the intense integration of applied research and development in cooperation with external partners and the training of highly qualified, interdisciplinary specialists, the institute is treading an innovative and forward-looking path in the expansion of modern teaching and in the further development of the key technology of medical technology. Practical training in the areas of hardware and software development for medical technology systems as well as technical medical applications is supported and strengthened by close and intensive co-operation with industry, other universities, research institutes, hospitals and medical facilities. Various medical and clinical diagnostic and therapy systems for practical training are available at the institute. Knowledge transfer In addition to teaching, the Institute practices knowledge transfer between science and industry, hospitals and medical practices within the framework of joint research and development projects. Various medical technology products that are now on the market are based on basic research in the institute's own laboratories and were developed in close co-operation with regional industries. Special technical facilities, especially in the areas of optics, spectroscopy, electrical and optical measurement technology, microcomputer technology, electrophysiology, biophysics as well as software technology enable well-founded and sustainable medical technology research and development in close co-operation with industrial and clinical users. 53 The Institute of Medical Technology cooperates closely with the Laboratory for Medical Technology and Medical Informatics in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering within the framework of in-house training. Students of Electrical Engineering, Industrial Mathematics and Industrial Engineering use the facilities of the Institute of Medical Technology. At the same time, the institute promotes inter-faculty and inter-institutional co-operation in the sector of medical technology applications. The institute facilitates co-operative doctorates within the framework of application-oriented research and development projects in co-operation with industry and with university partner institutions. International co-operation is currently taking place with the China Medical University, Shenyang (PRC).

Focus areas of research

The staff conduct research and make developments in various fields of
current medical technology. The aim of all application-oriented research activities
is to strengthen the research focus on "Man and Mobility", with
particular emphasis on the technical development of non-invasive
systems for early medical diagnosis and the preservation of mobility and independence
in old age.
The basic idea of digitalisation is at the heart of all projects.
The main areas of work are in the following fields:

  • Electro-optical cardiovascular diagnostics,
  • Respiratory gas diagnostics,
  • Fluorescence diagnostics and photodynamic therapy in skin cancer treatment,
  • Telemedicine (sensor technology, interactive telediagnostics, secure and fast data transmission),
  • Digital medical imaging,
  • Development of novel imaging techniques in the field of non-ionising radiation (neuromagnetic imaging, magnetic particle imaging),
  • Human-machine interfaces for general medical applications and for physiotherapy,
  • Technical assistance systems for maintaining independence in old age (Ambient Assisted Living), 
  • Development of a brain-computer interface,
  • Communication systems for severely disabled patients.