MATLAB toolboxes: Teaching feature extraction from time-varying biomedical signals

Abstract

This article presents an initiative to teach the concept of feature extraction from time-varying signals to biomedical engineering students. The approach was based on illustrative applications that highlight the performance of different feature extraction methods, Following a brief description of the feature extraction methods, applications of the methods to the time-varying biomedical signals (electrocardiogram-ECG, electroencephalogram-EEG, arterial Doppler signals) were done by means of a series of MATLAB functions. The functions involved in Signal Processing and Wavelet Toolboxes of MATLAB, which can be used to extract features from the signals under study were presented. The authors suggest that the use of MATLAB exercises will assist the students in gaining a better understanding of the various features representing the time-varying biomedical signals. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.