Biosignal Acquisition and Processing: A Project-Based Learning Approach

This textbook provides an introduction to common concepts in biosignal acquisition and processing, rooted in a Project-Based Learning (PBL). A series of exercises and corresponding solutions is described, with a focus on common problems that new entrants encounter in the undergraduate and graduate curriculums in biomedical engineering, psychophysiology, human-computer interaction, physiotherapy, and others developing work in the boundary between biosignal acquisition and other disciplines. Solutions include both hardware and software components, encompassing sensor design, biosignals acquisition using the Arduino and BITalino platforms, Python for signal processing, analysis, and knowledge extraction, including also HTML/CSS/JavaScript for user interface design. All the content is supported with rich graphics, source code, and other useful resources made available to the interested reader. This is an ideal book for undergraduate students and practitioners (across disciplines) who are studying or working in the field of biomedical signal acquisition, processing, and analysis.

Hugo Humberto Plácido da Silva is a biomedical researcher, inventor and entrepreneur, holding a PhD in electrical and computers engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) - University of Lisbon (UL). He is a Senior Researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), where he works since 2004, and a Professor at the Department of Bioengineering (DBE) of IST-UL since 2019. He is also co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of PLUX - Wireless Biosignals, S.A., established in 2007 as an innovative technology-based company operating in the field of medical devices for healthcare and quality of life. In the scope of these assignments, his work has been widely recognized both domestically and internationally. His current interests include biosignal acquisition, biomedical instrumentation, system engineering, signal processing, and machine learning, areas in which he holds 7 patents and has performed pioneering theoretical, methodological, and technical contributions.

Hugo Filipe Silveira Gamboais an Associate Professor at the Physics Department of Nova School of Science and Technology from Nova University Lisbon and member of the LIBPHYS-UNL research center. He is co-founder and president of PLUX, a technology-based innovative company in the field of systems and wireless medical sensors, where he supports the company research vision of a multidisciplinary team, that covers microelectronics, biosignal processing and software development.

Rui Pedro Sousa Varandas is a PhD student currently enrolled at Nova School of Science and Technology from Nova University Lisbon, where he also completed his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. His research is focused on studying the possibility of monitoring learning states through biosignals and human-computer interaction variables, and he is working in collaboration with LIBPhys-UNL and PLUX - Wireless Biosignals, S.A.

Guilherme Alexandre dos Santos Espadanal Ramos works as a Software Engineer at PLUX - Wireless Biosignals, S.A., after completing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Nova School of Science and Technology from Nova University Lisbon. Between the graduation and the start of his journey at PLUX, he dedicated some time to research, working as a collaborator on LIBPhys-UNL, which helped him developing a more practical knowledge about physiological signal acquisition and processing, one of the scientific areas with greatest interest for him and that continues to exceed his expectations nowadays.