Towards the History of Formation and Development of the Sverdlovsk Biotelemetry Group

Abstract

The article discusses the main stages in the formation and the research and practical work of the Sverdlovsk Biotelemetry Group as a scientific school led by Professor V. V. Rozenblat. In the early 20th century, the development of physiology demanded fundamentally new medical and technical solutions for real-time recording of physiological data in free-moving biological objects. A new direction of medical science and technology – dynamic bioradiotelemetry – has emerged. An informal scientific association of engineers and doctors, the Sverdlovsk Biotelemetry Group, worked in Sverdlovsk from the mid-1950s through the 1970s. Its leader was Professor V. V. Rozenblat while L. S. Dombrovskii provided overall management of engineering work. From 1955 to 1960, the Group created the first reliable device for remote pulse recording via radio. The period from 1960 through 1970 was the time of the group’s highest activity and productivity. The number of its members increased to 20. More than 50 original devices, unique sensors, and transmitting and receiving devices as well as the optimal methods for capturing and recording biosignals and bioelectric currents have been developed. After 1970, the most significant achievement of the Group was the use of computer technology for automated collection and analysis of the results of bioradiotelemetry. A series of original instruments was used in the Soviet space exploration program. The Group’s efforts over the decades resulted in the substantiation of dynamic bioradiotelemetry as a set of technologies and methodologies for obtaining fundamentally new knowledge about human body functioning during various activities. A scientific basis was created for the development of space medicine and the main principles were developed for sports teams training and preparation, rehabilitation, labor regulations in various areas, and social assessment.