Instrumented transducer for study of the bat echolocation process

Evolution has enabled the bat to echolocate with ease and efficiency, to the extent that the bats capabilities far exceed the most technologically advanced manmade systems. Such capabilities reinforce mans intrigue in the animal kingdom. In studying bats we aspire to quantify and understand their inherent skills in the hope of transferring them to engineering systems. In trying to further our understanding of the animal kingdom it is often the case that we try to replicate or mimic what the animal is doing. In terms of echolocation it is thought that a bat emits a signal and retains memory of an exact copy to be used in conjunction with the returning echo to reveal information about the target. To emulate the vocalisation and auditory system of a bat it is necessary to both accurately generate and detect sound waves.