The Biomed Lab in a Box is one such innovative educational initiative. It empowers engineers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This interactive on-demand course is packed with exciting exercises and an all-inclusive kit. It responds to the needs of biomedical engineering education in areas with restricted educational opportunities and resources. Led by a talented team, including Hanumara, Sibanda, and Pennes, the kit came to life. Gearbox Europlacer in Nairobi steadfastly put it together, run on the only automated circuit board line in East Africa.
Each Biomed Lab in a Box kit comes with resources and tools needed to conduct amazing experiments. It comes with a USB flash drive crammed full of a 96-page lab manual written by Sibanda. This manual becomes particularly useful in areas where reliable internet access is a challenge, ensuring that students can follow along with the curriculum even in resource-limited settings. The kit creates an entirely self-contained learning experience for users. It provides the dynamic software environment along with all the hardware needed for hands-on labs.
Designed for Local Challenges
The authors of Biomed Lab in a Box understood that engineers in LMICs are particularly challenged. Some of these areas are now haunted by “equipment graveyards,” as Hanumara calls the unintended legacy left behind. Donated medical equipment does not work many times because there are not local maintenance, repair, and operation capabilities.
“Those of us who have investigated health-care systems in LMICs are familiar with so-called ‘equipment graveyards,’” – Hanumara
The kit addresses these issues directly. It includes modules such as “Breadboarding an optical LED—photodetector pulse detector,” “Soldering a PCB and testing a 3-lead EKG,” and “Assembling and programming a syringe pump.” Exercises like these prepare students with practical skills that are essential to the ongoing maintenance and repair of medical equipment.
Hanumara drives home the need to zoom in on what students truly care about, what they think is valuable to their learning experiences. He states, “It’s important to understand what students find to be the most valuable, especially on their own.” This emphasis on student direction keeps the curriculum fresh and engaging.
The Role of Local Manufacturing
Gearbox Europlacer has been an indispensable partner in the assembly of our Biomed Lab in a Box kit. The facility has a license to manufacture Raspberry Pi’s microcontrollers. Including these easy-to-use microcontrollers means they’re at the hearts of many exercises built into the kit. This requirement for local production is important for ongoing education and equipment maintenance sustainability.
“The insistence on local manufacturing keeps us from falling into the trap that so much equipment donated into East Africa creates—you have one of these items, and if some part of it breaks you can never replace it,” – Pennes
By incorporating locally-sourced components, engineers are in a better position to quickly get replacements or use materials on side projects. This method encourages a sense of agency and autonomy within the students, pushing them to think both creatively and resourcefully.
Pennes also highlights the broader implications of local production: “Having locally sourced items instead means that if you need another component, or devise an interesting side project, you have a shopping list and you can go get whatever you need.” This nexus of self-sufficiency is key to the long-term success of engineering programs within LMICs.
Successful Testing at Local Universities
In late 2024, the Biomed Lab in a Box kit underwent rigorous testing at Kenyatta University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Feedback from these trials will be instrumental in refining the curriculum and ensuring that it meets the needs of students effectively.
During the testing phase, everything went very smoothly. Students did well on multiple choice and short answer modules, and unequivocally indicated their understanding of complicated and rich biomedical ideas. This immersive, tactile experience allows for even more meaningful learning and long-lasting information retention.
“Anyone who has ever had to build systems that need to stand up to real-world conditions understands the chasm between knowing how to calculate the theoretically perfect ‘x’ and being capable of implementing a real-world solution with the materials available.” This approach informs the design of the Biomed Lab in a Box kit. It prepares students to meet the world’s challenges with assurance.
This collaborative initiative is an impressive demonstration of the power of the education pipeline. In addition, it calls for strengthening healthcare infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The artists, thinkers, and doers who will take part in the creators plan to fill holes in knowledge and skills that have lingered far too long.