Collaborative Research: Fish-Inspired Ultra-Sensitive Infrasound Sensor for Critical Infrastructure Monitoring and Geo-hazards Early Warning

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The objective of this research is to develop an ultra-sensitive infrasound motion sensor with nonlinear adaptive gain, which has potential applications in detecting early warning signals of imminent geo-hazardous events such as landslides. The sensing principle of this infrasound sensor gains inspiration from the ultra-sensitivity of the auditory system of certain fish species in detecting infrasound signals. The core sensing element of this infrasound sensor is a micro-electro-mechanical-system based artificial hair cell, which implements the active amplification and adaptation mechanisms of biological hair cells. Sensor design will be guided with insights made from quantitative modeling and simulation of a fish's hearing sensitivity and selectivity in infrasonic range. A fundamental understanding of how fish sense and process infrasound signals in its auditory system will be achieved through synergistic efforts among this cross-disciplinary project team and strong interactions between the multiple disciplines ranging from fish neuro-anatomy and imaging, nonlinear dynamics modeling, to microelectronics device fabrication and characterization. The outcome of this inter-disciplinary research will lead to new advancements in smart sensor, marine bio-acoustics and geo-hazard mitigation technologies.