Low-Powered Sensor Array Inspired by Blind Cave Fish

Innovation: Academia

Nanyang Technological University

2019

Image: Brian Gratwicke / Flickr / CC BY NC - Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial

Sense Motion

Perceiving motion is important for a living system to sense where it is in relation to a moving environment, which is critical in locating resources or wayfinding. This applies whether the environment itself is in motion (such as water movement coming from a nearby fish) or the living system is moving within a stationary environment (such as a bird flying through the air). Because motion dampens over distance and the cost of missing those motion signals is high, living systems must be quite sensitive to these signals. For example, fast-flying big brown bats have microscopic, stiff, domed hairs on their wing membranes that act as a sensor array to monitor flight speed and airflow conditions.

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Sense Balance/Orientation

Living systems must maneuver, remain in position, detect differences in weight, and find direction. This often requires more than visual cues, and so living systems have strategies for sensing balance and orientation from both internal and external cues. Once balance or orientation is detected, living systems must make the adjustments necessary to maintain position and direction. For example, sea slugs use neural mechanisms to detect and align themselves at an angle to the earth’s north-south magnetic axis.

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Navigate Through Liquid

Living systems that move in liquids must navigate around physical obstacles and find their way from place to place to locate resources or suitable climates. Many liquids are denser than air, which means it’s a thicker medium through which signals must pass. On the other hand, liquids tend to conduct some signals better than air or solids. Liquid dwellers must use strategies that enable them to detect and follow signals in this dense medium. For example, electricity transmits well in water and several organisms, such as Amazon electric eels, have organs that detect and use electric signals to navigate.

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Sensor array from Nanyang Technological University is made of a series of micro-sensors that sense obstacles using water pressure rather than light waves, allowing them to function in the dark.

Benefits

Reduced costs
Reduced energy usage
Lightweight

Applications

Underwater exploration
Medical procedures

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 9: Industry Innovation & Infrastructure

The Challenge

Typical autonomous underwater vehicles rely on cameras and sonar to gather information about their environment. Unfortunately, when the environment darkens, cameras can no longer perceive their surroundings. Additionally, sonar waves can pose harm to marine animals.

Innovation Details

The sensor array consists of two rows of five micro-sensors surrounded by a hydrogel. The sensor detects objects near and far through the transmission of ripples in the water. The ripples bounce back to the sensor to signal exactly where the object is without requiring light.

Biomimicry Story

Blind cave fish survive without vision due to a strip of dense nerve centers along their sides. This area is called the lateral line system and consists of horizontal grooves that run along the body and onto the head. Within the grooves, there are lines of tiny organs called neuromasts. The neuromasts consist of small sensory cells that contain hairs embedded in a gelatinous material. As the fish swims, its movement create ripples in the water that contact objects and bounce back to the neuromasts, signaling the objects’ locations.

See Related Strategy

Biological Strategy

Blind Cave-dwellers Have Super Senses

Alabama cavefish

The bodies of Alabama cavefish allow them to survive without vision via elaborate appendages and beefed-up nerve centers.

close up photograph of silver fish scales

Biological Strategy

Lateral Line System Acts as Sonar

Fish

Neuromasts of the lateral line system of fish help them navigate by sensing their own waves, reflected back from surrounding objects, which are deflected by minute sensory cells embedded in jelly.

References

Journal article

A new sensor inspired by the lateral-line system of fish using the self-powered d33 mode piezoelectric diaphragm for hydrodynamic sensing

Science Direct

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