Fly Ears Could Lead to Better Hearing Aids

Fly Ears Could Lead to Better Hearing Aids
Jul-25-14
Inspired by a fly's sensitive hearing mechanism, researchers have created a small, low-power device that could lead a new generation of smart, adaptable hearing aids.

The device, from a team at the Cockrell School of Engineering, was inspired by the Ormia ochracea fly, which is able to locate a cricket by pinpointing its chirp. This ability is due to a tiny, seesaw-shaped mechanism in the fly's ear canal. As the sound passes through the ear canal, the seesaw structure undergoes a phase shift that causes one end to dip much lower than the other, indicating the direction of the sound—and thus the cricket.

Building on this idea, the research team built a structure that mimic's the fly's own by suspending a flexible silicon beam, made of out piezoelectric material, on two pivots. The material converts mechanical strain on the beam into electrical pulses, which allows the device to identify the direction the sounds are coming from. The team hopes the device could benefit hearing aid users by allowing them to focus on the specific sources of sound while minimizing the unnecessary background noise.

Fly Ears Could Lead to Better Hearing Aids


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[MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM]
[UTEXAS.EDU]
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