. | . |
Can a parasitic fly inspire a new generation of hearing aids? by Brooks Hays Washington DC (UPI) May 15, 2017 Ormia ochracea, a small, yellow, nocturnal fly native to Mexico and the southern United States has the most powerful directional hearing in the animal kingdom. Scientists hope the fly's hearing mechanism can inspire the next generation of auditory sensors, but new research suggests the fly's hearing mechanism has limitations. "These flies have highly specialized ears that provide the most acute directional hearing of any animal," Andrew Mason, a professor of biology at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, said in a news release. "The mechanism that makes their hearing so exceptional has even led to a range of bio-inspired technology, like the mini directional microphones used in hearing aids." Unlike most animal ears, the fly's are connected. A pair of eardrums are connected by a bendable joint. When one is stimulated, the vibrations reverberate across to the other. The time delay helps the fly pinpoint the direction of the sound. The remarkable ability helps the fly locate the songs of male crickets. Ormia ochracea is parasitic. The females burrow their eggs in the cricket. The fly's larvae eat the cricket alive as they develop. Unfortunately, for auditory engineers, the mechanism that makes the hearing of Ormia ochracea so remarkable isn't easily translated to new technology. One of the main challenges for engineers designing improved hearing aids is the "cocktail-party-problem." How can a hearing aid be designed to isolated target sound in a noisy environment. For humans, the brain and auditory system work together to hone in on localized sounds -- the ability is called "spatial release from masking," or SRM. The ears Ormia ochracea can't perform SRM. Lab tests showed the fly is easily pulled away from its target by distracting sounds. "A distracting noise that is more to one side will cause an auditory illusion by obscuring the signal in that ear," said Mason. "It essentially ends up fooling the fly into perceiving that the signal is coming from one place, so it ends up pushing it away from the actual cricket sound." The new research, detailed in the journal eLife, highlights a potential limitation of mechanically-coupled hearing devices. "These flies are very accurate for one thing, which is detecting cricket sounds, but that comes at a cost since they've evolved to focus on this very restrictive set of information," Mason said.
Styria, Austria (SPX) May 17, 2017 Computational materials design is traditionally used to improve and further develop already existing materials. Simulations grant a deep insight into the quantum mechanical effects which determine material properties. Egbert Zojer and his team at the Institute of Solid State Physics of TU Graz go a decisive step beyond that: they use computer simulations to propose an entirely new concept ... read more Related Links Space Technology News - Applications and Research
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |