Surgical repair of the human body is where design and nature intersect most significantly because here manmade technology serves to enhance and even prolong human life. Engineers and clinicians have long been collaborators working to improve the human physical condition and in this volume we have contributors from both fields revealing current state of the art in restoring normal function to human physiology.

Making good the effects of wear and tear through adjustment or replacing worn parts is a familiar part of the ownership experience for consumers of everyday objects. If a fault is persistent then a redesign may alleviate the problem. However, repair and redesign of human physiology is quite a different prospect because, as we shall see in this volume, no two humans are the same and “spare parts” may be unacceptable or even be in very short supply.

This book provides a broad overview of a number of areas where engineering and medicine have come together, both to promote the understanding of human physiology, and also to design solutions to repair or replace systems which are failing.