Fly ear-inspired sensors benefit MAVs and UAVs

  • Published
  • By Maria Callier
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
ARLINGTON, Va. --  A professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland is researching miniature acoustic sensors and sound localization techniques using the hearing mechanisms of flies as a model.

"We have found that the fly ear indeed represents a 'nature designed optimal structure' for obtaining the best acoustic directional cues at 5 kHz. Such a nature designed optimum has not been addressed in the available published literature," noted Dr. Miao Yu, lead researcher for the project and an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award recipient.

Yu and her fellow AFOSR-funded researchers are learning more about the fly's hearing mechanism. During this process, they have discovered that it is possible to replicate the fly ear's performance and design. While in the lab, they have also developed an optical detection technique to make such a replicated system highly sensitive as well as impervious to noise.

"We need to determine how best to formulate design guidelines and implement these fly inspired miniature acoustic sensors because all current use is based on large-scale microphone arrays," she said.

"The key idea of this research is to understand how sound localization is possible in a pair of mechanically-coupled ears separated by only 500 microns, and to test this understanding," said Dr. Willard Larkin, AFOSR program manager who oversees Yu's work.

"Our next step will be to fully implement the understanding gained into a miniature fly ear-inspired sensor platform and study the resulting system's performance with regard to detection and localization," she said.

Such research could benefit the Air Force by leading to the development of an artificial fly unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with combined hearing and vision for navigation to inaccessible locations. It could also result in micro aerial vehicles and UAVs having improved homing capabilities.

Eventually, there may even be acoustic networks for communications between UAVs and underwater vehicles.

"Further research is also expected to result in advances in the areas of micro-opto-electro-mechanical system fabrication, optical sensors, and system-on-a-chip, all of which can have a significant impact on the next generation of Air Force flight vehicles," said Yu.