Configuration optimization of bionic piezoelectric hair sensor for acoustic/tactile detection

Abstract

Specialized sensory hairs are important biological sensors for arthropods to detect and recognize environmental conditions including acoustic, pressure and airflow signals. However, the present design methodology of such biomimic micro devices are mainly depending on shape mimicking, which greatly restricts their performance. In this paper, a novel genetic algorithm based optimization model for design of piezoelectric functional hair is developed for improving its acoustic pressure or tactile sensitivity. Furthermore, the sensing mechanism of axially polarized piezoelectric hair is explored and the main influencing factors on sensitivity including hair configuration and axial strain distribution are determined. Then, a series of optimized hair configurations are obtained in a specific frequency band from 1 Hz to 500 Hz, whose average sensitivity of 2.21 × 10 −3 V Pa −1 is 10 times greater than that of the straight hair of 2.15 × 10 −4 V Pa −1 with the same size. For tactile load detection, the output voltage of the optimized hair is about 1.5 times as much as that of the straight hair. The obtained hairs are similar with the spider's trichobothria and tactile hair, which presents an explanation of biological hairs sensitive to dynamic and static loads.

Bioinspired sensor system for health care and human‐machine interaction

“…[89][90][91] The particular structure can sense tiny air currents in all directions, allowing them to navigate, control flight, and avoid danger, which is a novel concept for fluid motion sensors. [92][93][94] To detect low-speed fluid, Matthew R. et al 95 proposed a hair-plug device. The response of the artificial hair sensor to steady boundary layer airflow was detected by a Blasius flat plate, and the boundary layer was characterized by a hotwire anemometer.…”

“…The two bionic Mxenes based sensors showed good performance in detecting and recognizing physiological signals like finger movements and human pulses. Bionic strategy Bionic materials [107][108][109] Bionic structures 94,110 Bionic materials [111][112][113] Bionic structures 25,93 Functional bionic [114][115][116] Bionic materials 117 Bionic structures 118 Functional bionic 26,119,120 Bionic structures 92 Bionic source Plant surface 107,108 Human skin 109 Stereocilia 94,110 Human skin 111 Komochi Konbu 113 Spongia 25 Plant surface 112 Microhair 93 Plant surface 117 Ion channels 118 Eardrum 116 Auditory system 115 Olfactory epithelium 114 Human skin 120 Hair 92 Fingertip 26 Corti cells 119 Sensitivity 120 kPa À1108 $10 > 1000 cycles 111 > 10 000 cycles 113 > 10 000 cycles 25 > 3000 cycles 93 > 1000 cycles 114 > 5000 cycles 117 > 50 000 cycles…”

“…Many animals have sensitive sensory hairs, such as the antennae of insects 87,88 and whiskers of mammals 89–91 . The particular structure can sense tiny air currents in all directions, allowing them to navigate, control flight, and avoid danger, which is a novel concept for fluid motion sensors 92–94 . To detect low‐speed fluid, Matthew R. et al 95 proposed a hair‐plug device.…”

Dynamic Properties of Microresonators with the Bionic Structure of Tympanic Membrane

“…In recent years, the combination of MEMS and bionics has become a new research direction including the design and manufacture, miniaturization, and intellectualization of bionic MEMS devices. Many MEMS sensors are designed by imitating biological structures, for example, bionic MEMS acoustic positioning sensors, velocity and direction sensors, tactile sensors, displacement sensors, accelerometers, vector underwater acoustic sensors, and so on [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The combination of MEMS and bionics has solved many technical problems and created many new MEMS devices.…”