Insect-inspired acoustic micro-sensors

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)
47 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) microphones inspired by the remarkable phonotactic capability of Ormia ochracea offer the promise of microscale directional microphones with a greatly reduced need for post-processing of signals. Gravid Ormia ochracea females can locate their host cricket’s 5 kHz mating calls to an accuracy of less than 2° despite having a distance of approximately 500 µm between the ears. MEMS devices base on the principles of operation of O. ochracea’s hearing system have been well studied, however commercial implementation has proven challenging due to the system's reliance on carefully tailored ratios of stiffness and damping, which are difficult to realize in standard MEMS fabrication processes, necessitating a trade-off between wide-band operation and sensitivity. A survey of the variety of strategies that have been followed to address these inherent challenges is presented.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-38
Number of pages9
JournalCurrent Opinion in Insect Science
Volume30
Early online date6 Sept 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2018

Keywords

  • microphones
  • Ormia ochracea
  • directional acoustical sensor

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Insect-inspired acoustic micro-sensors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this