The Fourier Transform in Biomedical Engineering

In 1994, in my role as Technical Program Chair for the 17th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, I solicited proposals for mini-symposia to provide delegates with accessible summaries of important issues in research areas outside their particular specializations. Terry Peters and his colleagues submitted a proposal for a symposium on Fourier Trans­ forms and Biomedical Engineering whose goal was "to demystify the Fourier transform and describe its practical application in biomedi­ cal situations". This was to be achieved by presenting the concepts in straightforward, physical terms with examples drawn for the parti­ cipants work in physiological signal analysis and medical imaging. The mini-symposia proved to be a great success and drew a large and appreciative audience. The only complaint being that the time allocated, 90 minutes, was not adequate to allow the participants to elaborate their ideas adequately. I understand that this feedback helped the authors to develop this book.