Papers for

biomedical device engineers

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Framework reveals how brain signal AI models make decisions

EEG-Xplain: Decoding Neural Black-Boxes of EEG Foundation Models

Abstract: EEG foundation models such as BIOT, LaBraM, and EEGMamba have achieved remarkable performance in neural signal decoding, but their black-box nature limits clinical trust and neuroscientific validation. We propose a unified attribution framework for interpreting EEG foundation models across heterogeneous architectures. The framework integrates gradient-, perturbation-, and activation-based explanation methods to analyze model behavior in spatial, temporal, and frequency dimensions. Spatially, it identifies critical EEG channels and visualizes their distributions using topographic maps. Temporally, it highlights decision-relevant signal segments through attribution heatmaps. In the frequency domain, it quantifies the contributions of canonical EEG rhythms via spectral perturbation analysis. To assess explanation reliability, we introduce a population-level evaluation combining Area Over the Perturbation Curve (AOPC) and cross-method consistency analysis. The framework further leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to transform structured attribution outputs into natural-language reports, bridging low-level neural representations and high-level semantic reasoning. Experiments on benchmark datasets, including Mumtaz2016 and TUAB, demonstrate that the generated explanations are consistent with established neurophysiological markers, validating meaningful neural representations while exposing potential dependencies on artifacts and spurious patterns. The proposed framework provides a standardized approach for evaluating the interpretability, reliability, and physiological plausibility of EEG foundation models.

Mon 14 SeptArtificial Intelligence
The gist
Brain signal decoding using AI models often works well but is hard to understand, which makes doctors hesitant to trust them. The authors designed a system that explains these AI models by showing which brainwave sensors and time points matter, as well as why certain brainwave frequencies influence decisions. They also use large language models to turn these technical insights into easy-to-understand language. Their tests show the explanations match known brain activity patterns and uncover some reliance on irrelevant signals. This framework helps make brain AI tools more trustworthy and interpretable.
Open 2609.15687v1

Fast and slow channels coordinate for better deadline communication

Fast-Slow Communication with Endogenous Transport

Abstract: A communication system may convey urgent information through a fast physical stream and more specific information through a slower material stream. In several biological and engineered settings, however, the fast process also changes the transport law of the slow one. We study this architecture under a shared resource constraint, with a strictly increasing concave fast-channel capacity--cost function and a deadline-constrained slow molecular channel. We first characterize the capacity region under separated message routing and message-independent operating-point schedules, and identify the marginal criterion for complementarity rather than competition between the streams. For one-dimensional drift diffusion, we prove that arrival probability before a deadline is strictly log-concave in Péclet number. For a distinguishable-token deadline-erasure channel, any increasing concave transport-actuation law then yields an exact single-crossing theorem: complementarity exists if and only if an initial transport-assistance elasticity exceeds one, the transition is unique when it exists, and the decreasing allocation branch remains the Pareto boundary after convexification. For positive baseline drift and sufficiently strong coupling, a unique critical normalized deadline determines when complementarity disappears. Short- and long-deadline limits clarify the associated temporal regimes. Numerical examples for a finite-frame LTI-Poisson slow channel exhibit analogous allocation behavior with counting noise and intersymbol interference.

Sun 13 SeptInformation Theory
The gist
Some communication systems send urgent messages quickly and detailed messages slowly, but sometimes the fast channel also changes how the slow channel works. The authors studied how these two types of channels can share resources effectively, especially when there's a deadline to meet. They found precise conditions when the two channels help each other rather than compete, and described how this depends on physical properties like drift and diffusion. Their results are supported by mathematical proofs and examples that show practical relevance for channels experiencing noise and interference.
Open 2609.14680v1

Robotic system adjusts 3D bioprinting in real time for muscle repair

A Physics-Based Closed-Loop Robotic Bioprinting Framework Towards Volumetric Muscle Loss Treatment

Abstract: Robotic bioprinting and Direct Ink Writing (DIW) are being explored towards the treatment of Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML). While previous studies have shown the importance of proper parameter selection on the print outcome, existing approaches often rely on time- and material-intensive design of experiments methods, or require large, well-curated datasets for training machine learning models. In this paper, we propose a physics-based closed-loop robotic bioprinting system capable of near real-time parameter adaptation. The system integrates a 3D point cloud camera and fully autonomous vision-based algorithms to provide quantitative evaluation of printed constructs. This evaluation is fed into a controller that adjusts printing parameters to achieve a desired bead thickness. To assess the framework's performance, four experimental configurations were tested, each repeated three times. In these tests, printing began from an arbitrary initial parameter value, and the controller was tasked with adjusting the parameters to reach the desired thickness. The system converged in all trials, achieving a tracking error below 0.5 mm within an average of 5.2 seconds from the start of printing. The low standard deviation of the converged pressure over different tests (0.04 bar on average) demonstrates robustness and repeatability. Additional experiments were conducted with the controller turned off, enabling direct comparison with open-loop DIW bioprinting, further confirming the effectiveness of the proposed closed-loop framework in achieving the desired bead geometry.

Thu 10 SeptRobotics
The gist
Volumetric Muscle Loss is a condition where large parts of muscle are damaged and need repairing. The authors created a robotic 3D printing setup that watches what it prints and changes its settings right away to make printed muscle-like materials just right. This means less trial and error compared to older methods that took lots of time or needed tons of examples to learn from. Their system was able to quickly and reliably adjust printing to get the right size of material, which is important for muscle repair. They also showed it worked better than printing without feedback.
Open 2609.12159v1