Wolff, Heinz Siegfried (1928– )

German-born British biomedical engineer who worked on high-technology instruments and the application of technology to medicine.

Born in Berlin, Wolff left Germany for the UK as a boy. He studied physiology at London and then worked for the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the National Institute for Medical Research, where he specialized in the development of instrumentation. Formerly director of the Biomedical Division of the MRC's Clinical Research Centre, he then became currently director of the Institute for Bioengineering at Brunel University, Uxbridge, in the UK.

Wolff's interests range from the invention of new high technology instruments to the widespread and sensible application of technology to the problems of the elderly and the disabled. He believes that small, specialized pieces of equipment that can be worked by doctors and nurses may be preferable to large centralized units to which patients have to go for tests or treatment. Machines should be simple to use, should show when they are not working properly, and should be designed so that they can be repaired on the spot by the operator.