Application of engineering principles and equipment to biology and medicine .
It includes the development and fabrication of life-support systems for underwater and space exploration , devices for medical treatment (see dialysis , prosthesis ), and instruments for monitoring biological processes. Development has been particularly rapid in the area of artificial organs, which culminated in the implantation of an artificial heart into a human being in 1982. Bioengineers also develop equipment that enables humans to maintain body functions in hostile environments, such as the space suits worn by astronauts during extravehicular maneuvers.