Cochlea-Inspired Sensor Enhances Sound Detection in Noisy Environments

Scientists from renowned institutions in Germany have successfully created a microelectromechanical sensor inspired by the cochlea, a hollow, spiral-shaped bone found in the inner ear, TechXplore reports.

This astonishing achievement, recently published in Nature Electronics, holds the potential to revolutionize sound detection in noisy environments, surpassing the capabilities of traditional microphones.

Making Microelectromechanical Cochlea

According to the report, this research was inspired by how our ears detect sound using special cells called hair cells.

The researchers found inspiration from previous work on small structures called cantilevers and realized they could use them to create artificial hair cells. These artificial hair cells can detect different tones of sound in a more focused way compared to regular microphones.

Regular microphones pick up all tones of sound at once, but our ears have hair cells that can individually detect specific tones.

Claudia Lenk, the lead author of the paper, tells TechXplore that this ability is important for separating speech from background noise. By adjusting the detection sensitivity of each hair cell, we can make it easier to hear speech while reducing background noise.

The researchers developed a tiny device called a microelectromechanical cochlea. It has two important parts. The first part is made up of small silicon cantilevers that act as artificial hair cells and detect sound. The second part is a feedback loop that adjusts the detection properties of each cantilever.

Here is how the cochlea works: When sound reaches the cantilevers, they vibrate, and this vibration is measured as an electronic signal.

According to their study, they used real-time feedback to fine-tune the sensor's properties and adapt it to different noisy environments.

By switching between linear and nonlinear characteristics, the sensor became better at detecting signals in noisy conditions, had a wider range to detect different levels of sound, and could adjust to changing environments.

How the Artificial Cochlea Enhances Hearing

This adaptable cochlea has many real-world applications. Unlike regular microphones that have fixed settings, this system can adjust its sound-detecting abilities - whether in quiet or noisy environments

Regular microphones need a lot of processing to pick up quiet sounds, especially in noisy places. But the adaptive cochlea filters out unwanted sounds early on, making it easier to recognize speech and accurately classify sounds in noisy environments.

The ability of this cochlea to adapt is significant. It means that it can change quickly, which is important for many applications. It also helps us hear important information like the timing of sounds and specific tones, which makes speech detection faster and more efficient.

This adaptable cochlea can be integrated into various devices to improve their performance. It can enhance hearing aids, smart speakers, security systems, and more.

Since hearing loss often happens because of problems with our ear's hair cells, the researchers are now working on using their artificial cochlea to create better hearing aids.

They want to develop a system that covers the entire range of human hearing and combines it with neural networks for processing.

This will help people automatically adjust to different sounds and focus on important sounds like speech. Their new project, called NeuroSensEar, is focused on creating these improved hearing aids.

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