Biological metamaterials for enhanced noise control technology

Lead Research Organisation: University of Bristol
Department Name: Biological Sciences

Abstract

Invisibility cloaks are fantastic devices in popular culture from Harry Potter to Star Trek. But even in the real world so-called metamaterials (synthetic composite materials with emergent new properties) can act as (partial) cloaks both against light (vision) and sound (acoustics). We recently discovered that the 65MY old arms race with their echolocating bat predators has equipped moths with remarkable acoustic metamaterials on their wings and bodies (e.g. Shen et al. 2018 PNAS). The strength of a moth's echo determines the distance over which bats can detect it. Fur on bodies and scales on wings of moths have broadband absorptive properties that each outperform current sound absorber technology. While moth fur is a fibrous porous absorber almost twice as efficient as comparable technical solutions, the scales on moth wings have an even more exciting functional principle: Each scale resonates and together they create efficient broadband absorption of bat ultrasound. In contrast to technical solutions, these scales best absorb low frequencies, and show an unparalleled deep-subwavelength (<1% of wavelength) functionality. Their structure and (postulated) functionality make moth wings the first documented biological acoustic metamaterial - a discovery as transformative as nanoscale photonic crystals creating structural colour in butterfly scales.

Our objective is to reveal the, as yet unknown, biophysics behind these evolved metamaterial absorbers and translate them into the human hearing range. In collaboration with our industry partner we will then develop prototypes for the next generation of more efficient bio-inspired noise control devices (biology-push). In return, understanding the biophysics will cross-inspire biology, as it allows us to look for and identify further acoustic metamaterials with different adaptiveness (i.e. tuneable metasurfaces; technology-pull).

Unlocking the potential of evolved deeply subwavelength sound absorber metamaterials requires a coordinated, multidisciplinary, world-leading team of researchers; it is not possible to disassociate the biology from the mechanical modelling and treat the problem piecemeal. The assembled team of researchers has complementary expertise ranging from structural analysis of scales created by epidermal cells, acoustomechanical characterisation, and absorptive index assessment (lead Biology, Holderied, Robert), to theoretical biophysics of metamaterial properties (lead Applied Mathematics, Craster), to computational biophysics, modelling, and prototyping (lead Ultrasonics Engineering, Drinkwater with industry partner) and product development and commercialisation (industry partner). A range of cutting-edge technologies and methodologies (some of which pioneered in the applicants' labs exclusively) are required for this research including Dynamic Acoustic 3D imaging, Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry and Refractometry, X-ray nanoCT (successful Diamond synchrotron light source bid 2018), COMSOL multiphysics modelling, 3D lithography and nanoScribe 3D fabrication.

Promisingly, our first lithographically produced scale replicas indeed resonate at the most important frequency for human communication (4 kHz). The outcome of our iterative effort will be novel broadband sound absorbers, that are much thinner and lighter than existing systems. These bioinspired absorbers not only have substantial economic potential (as evidenced by the commitment of our industry partner), their lower space and weight footprint promises more flexible and acceptable noise control solutions for our offices and homes. They will help in our fight against acoustic pollution (e.g. cost to the NHS of hearing loss is estimated to be 450M per year), which is the 2nd largest environmental health risk in Western Europe leading to over 10000 premature deaths every year (EEA, 2014; WHO, 2011).

Planned Impact

In our ever-noisier world, noise pollution leads to over 10000 premature human deaths every year and is the second largest environmental health risk in Western Europe, (European Environmental Agency, 2014, World Health Organisation 2011); the UK government estimates the annual social cost of just urban road noise in England as £7-10 billion. Noise control technology is thus increasingly deployed to provide a healthier living and working environment, but it will have to become ever lighter, thinner, and more effective for us to accept it into our offices and homes.
A key promise of the rapidly expanding field of acoustic metamaterials is to develop highly adaptable ultrathin subwavelength sound absorber technology that will substantially reduce the weight and space footprint of architectural acoustics solutions and thereby help providing a healthy living and working environment. There is indeed a revolution underway in acoustics technology with metamaterials at the fore, several start-ups (Sonobex, Metasonics) have emerged in the UK and many others overseas.
We recently have discovered that the 65 million year acoustic arms race between bats and moths has given moth scales the ability to absorb the biosonar sounds of their bat predators (Shen et al. 2018 PNAS; Neil et al. under revision), and their effectiveness far exceeds current technological solutions. These scales are indeed the first documented natural acoustic metamaterial, and their structure and resonant functionality is unlike anything currently known let alone utilized. In this proposal a deeply integrated multidisciplinary team including our industry project partner QinetiQ will close this knowledge gap and develop biological metamaterial principles into advanced noise control prototypes. Industry involvement ensures a continuing process to reach the next technological readiness levels towards a finished noise control product.
Immediate impact from this project pertains to three levels: First and foremost, development of technical and industrial noise control applications with our industry partner QinetiQ. Our work is therefore of direct relevance to national and global human health and wellbeing (details in National Importance in Case for Support) with substantial economic long-term potential. Second, scientific network generation by creating a Special Interest Group nucleus for the emerging field of biological acoustic metamaterials within the UK Acoustics Network (www.acoustics.ac.uk). And finally, media communication and direct public engagement, that are organised and delivered to maximise societal impact through communication to audiences that are larger than the scientific community. In the context of local, and national science and nature festivals, we will produce a hands-on transportable interactive display (BATtleships) that will contribute to University public engagement, e.g. local schools, and generate knowledge exchange and active public participation (see pathways to impact for details).
Impacting biology, our discoveries establish the new research field of Acoustic Camouflage. We have only started investigating biological acoustic metamaterials, and many more discoveries are undoubtedly waiting to be made. Understanding the biophysics will cross-inspire biology as it allows a targeted search for further biological structures, in particular adaptively tuneable absorbers.
Finally, in conducting this research programme, the team (PDRAs) will gain and benefit from further training and experience in project and personnel management, as well as developing strong communication skills through public engagement and industry placement activities. We will ensure that training is delivered to the entire team, and that of volunteers, enhancing the educational value of impact, and generating increased opportunities for science to engage with the public and policy makers, teachers, school children, industrial partners and fellow academic researchers.
 
Description Two key findings by the bio-inspiration team are:
1) Body fur of moths is a hierarchival fibrous-porous absorber with remarkable broadband absorber abilities. Our respective publication in Royal Society Interface (Neil et al. 2020a) is their 2nd most read paper ever.
2) Wing scales on moth wings are ultrathin broadband metamaterial absorbers. The work published in PNAS (Neil et al. 2020b) has the third highest Attention Score (measureing scientific, news, and social media coverage) of the PNAS comparison group, and ranks at 99.93% of all papers evere published.
Exploitation Route Our findings have led to two large follow-up grants (detials in respective sections) which aim to turn our bio-inspiration into proof-of-concept acoustic materials.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Construction

Healthcare

 
Description Our research has received extensive coverage by major Natural History filmmaking organisations. Existing and ongoing projects (in different stages of broadcast) include: BBC - Animal Einsteins BBC - Attenborough's Life in Colour BBC - Amaze Me Apple TV+ - Earthsound (nondisclosed) - Sounds of Nature
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education
Impact Types Cultural

 
Description (BOHEME) - Bio-Inspired Hierarchical MetaMaterials
Amount € 3,226,250 (EUR)
Funding ID 863179 
Organisation European Commission 
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 01/2020 
End 12/2023
 
Description (MetaVEH) - Metamaterial Enabled Vibration Energy Harvesting
Amount € 4,018,875 (EUR)
Funding ID 952039 
Organisation European Commission 
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 01/2021 
End 12/2024
 
Description EPSRC Impact Acceleration Awards
Amount £47,000 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2023 
End 07/2023
 
Description ICURe Exploit for Attacus Acoustics
Amount £44,898 (GBP)
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2023 
End 03/2024
 
Description ICURe Explore for Attacus Acoustics
Amount £56,666 (GBP)
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2023 
End 12/2023
 
Description Impact Acceleration Award (IAA) Building an Impedance Tube to Characterise Sonic Wallpaper
Amount £46,810 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 06/2023
 
Description Impact Acceleration Award (IAA) Establishing Roll-to-roll Sonic Wallpaper Manufacture
Amount £101,625 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 06/2023 
End 12/2023
 
Description Task 30
Amount £200,000 (GBP)
Organisation Atlas Elektronik UK 
Sector Private
Country Germany
Start 01/2021 
End 03/2022
 
Description University Enterprise Fellowship
Amount £15,000 (GBP)
Organisation University of Bristol 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2023 
End 01/2024
 
Title 2021 Current Biology 
Description Data for Neil et al. 2021 Current Biology 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2021 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Wide public interest in acoustic camouflage, including viral social media content. 
URL https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/3j1z90v2siwr828djaj4w2u5dj/
 
Title A_suraka raw data from Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar 
Description Spreadsheet containing all raw data on the moth species A. suraka. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Raw data underpinning our bio-inspired technology 
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/A_suraka_raw_data_from_Thoracic_scales_of_moths_as_a_stealth_coatin...
 
Title C_promethea raw data from Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar 
Description Spreadsheet containing all raw data on the moth species C. promethea 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Raw data underpinning our bio-inspired technology. 
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/A_suraka_raw_data_from_Thoracic_scales_of_moths_as_a_stealth_coatin...
 
Title ESM_File_Codes from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Codes_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title ESM_File_Codes from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Codes_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig1 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig1_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig1 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig1_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig10 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig10_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig10 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig10_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig3 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig3_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig3 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig3_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig4 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig4_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig4 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig4_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig5 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig5_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig5 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig5_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig6 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig6_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig6 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig6_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig7 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig7_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig7 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig7_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig8 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig8_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig8 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig8_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig9 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig9_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title ESM_File_Fig9 from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/ESM_File_Fig9_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/21...
 
Title G_agamemnon raw data from Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar 
Description Spreadsheet containing all raw data on the butterfly species G. agamemnon 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Raw data underpinning our bio-inspired technology 
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/A_suraka_raw_data_from_Thoracic_scales_of_moths_as_a_stealth_coatin...
 
Title P_troilus raw data from Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar 
Description Spreadsheet containing all raw data on the butterfly species P. troilus. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Raw data underpinning our bio-inspired technology 
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/A_suraka_raw_data_from_Thoracic_scales_of_moths_as_a_stealth_coatin...
 
Title P_troilus raw data from Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar 
Description Spreadsheet containing all raw data on the butterfly species P. troilus. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Raw data underpinning our bio-inspired technology 
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/A_suraka_raw_data_from_Thoracic_scales_of_moths_as_a_stealth_coatin...
 
Title Readme_updated from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Readme_updated_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title Readme_updated from A tunable electromagnetic metagrating 
Description We explore electromagnetic (EM) wave incidence upon gratings of reconfigurable metamaterial cylinders, which collectively act as a metagrating, to identify their potential as reconfigurable subwavelength surfaces. The metacylinders are created by a closely spaced microstructured array of thin plates that, in the limit of small inter-plate spacing, are described by a semi-analytical continuum model. We build upon metacylinder analysis in water waves, translating this to EM for TE polarization (longitudinal magnetic field) for which the metacylinders exhibit anisotropic scattering; this is exploited for the multiple scattering of light by an infinite metagrating of uniform cylinder radius and angle, for which we retrieve the far-field reflection and transmission spectra for plane-wave incidence. These spectra reveal unusual effects including perfect reflection and a negative Goos-Hänchen shift in the transmitted field, as well as perfect symmetry in the far-field scattering coefficients. The metagrating also hosts Rayleigh-Bloch surface waves whose dispersion is contingent on the uniform cylinder angle, shifting under rotation towards the light-line as the cylinder angle approaches the horizontal. For both plane-wave scattering and the calculation of the array-guided modes, the cylinder angle is the principal variable in determining the wave interaction, and the metagrating is tunable simply through rotation of the constituent metacylinders. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Readme_updated_from_A_tunable_electromagnetic_metagrating/2...
 
Title Supplementary material for 'Models for resonant acoustic metasurfaces with application to moth wing ultrasound absorption' 
Description Data for all figures 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplementary_material_for_Models_for_resonant_acoustic_met...
 
Title Supplementary material for 'Models for resonant acoustic metasurfaces with application to moth wing ultrasound absorption' 
Description Data for all figures 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplementary_material_for_Models_for_resonant_acoustic_met...
 
Description Bristol - QINETIQ collaboration 
Organisation Qinetiq
Department QinetiQ (Farnborough)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution QINETIQ are the industry partner on this award
Collaborator Contribution Committed to £60k in-kind contributions and several months of industry placements.
Impact This collaboration did not result in any collaborative actions or information exchange.
Start Year 2019
 
Description Bristol City Museum 
Organisation Bristol City Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Joint research using the museum insect collection
Collaborator Contribution Provide logistical support and access to their collection of insect specimens.
Impact ongoing
Start Year 2016
 
Description DIAMOND light source 
Organisation Diamond Light Source
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Providing samples, receiving training and conducting measurements on site.
Collaborator Contribution Provide training, support and access to imaging infrastructure. Support with analysis and interpretation.
Impact Three visits with 9 days of beamline have produced results currently written up for publication and in use as pilot data to follow-on UKRI funding.
Start Year 2021
 
Description Natural History Museum London 
Organisation Natural History Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Imaging equipment, analysis tools and manpower for data collection.
Collaborator Contribution Logistical support, consulting, and access to their collection and research infrastructure.
Impact Data collection so far
Start Year 2017
 
Description QinetiQ Ring resonator 
Organisation Qinetiq
Department QinetiQ (Farnborough)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution This is funding for an iCASE student
Collaborator Contribution Advice / input into the supervision
Impact None yet
Start Year 2019
 
Description UK Acoustics Network Plus and Network 
Organisation University of Sheffield
Department Department of Mechanical Engineering
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Craster is co-director of the UK Acoustics Network Plus EP/V007866/1 and the Network EP/R005001/1 Members of the team & the postdocs and fellows that came to the research groups during the programme grant have played a strong role in the success of the Network Plus and Network.
Collaborator Contribution The critical mass of the programme grant and the research done within it gave momentum to the Network. The UK Acoustics Network (of which Craster was co-director) ran from 2017-2021 and interacted strongly with the programme grant. The special interest group in acoustic metamaterials was led by Craster until 2022 and this acted to motivate the UK Metamaterials Network.
Impact There is a separate ResearchFish entry for the UK Acoustics Network and Network Plus. www.acoustics.ac.uk Currently (as of 2024) there are over 1700 members, half are from industry and half from academia. It has run several hundred events nationwide, summer schools and a pilot funding scheme. There are a vast number of partners and please look at the UKAN and UKAN+ researchfish entries for details.
Start Year 2017
 
Title SOUND-ABSORPTION DEVICE 
Description This invention relates to a sound-absorption device, an assembly of sound-absorption devices, and a method of absorbing sound. In general terms, the present invention provides a sound-absorption device configured to absorb sound within a desired frequency range, in which a plurality of tuned resonator elements project from a panel absorber, such as a constrained plate. 
IP Reference 2312691.5 P4870GB00-RK5JM 
Protection Patent / Patent application
Year Protection Granted 2023
Licensed No
Impact University spinout scheduled for this year. Several credible parties are interested in a licensing deal.
 
Description BBC Amaze me with Chris Peckham 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Our research (Neil et al. 2020b) features as one half of one episode.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description BBC Animal Einsteins 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Our research on nmoth wing sound absorbers features in one episode of BBC's Animal Einsteins.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000slks
 
Description BENHS Annual Memorial lecture 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I gave the annual memorial lecture for BENHS in 2023. There were 300 online attendees from all over the globe. Very interesting discussions at the end of the event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.benhs.org.uk/
 
Description BNHC Winter Lecture 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Marc delivered the Bristol Natural History Consortium winter lecture Nov 2023
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/blog/winter-lectures-for-2023-24/
 
Description Biosonar interactive display at Winchester Science Centre 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Supported with £15k by the UK Acoustics Network, we developed an interactive display for the Winchester Science Centre (>900k visitors per annum). This is an interactive game with ultrasound showing our research on biological acoustic sound absorbers. It is popular and receives outstanding visitor feedback!
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/exploring/sound-hearing-vibration
 
Description Brad Ashby memorial lecture for the British Entomological and Natural History Society 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I delivered the 2023 Brad Ashby memorial lecture.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://twitter.com/BritEntSoc/status/1613582515586875392?t=A7VvlwxUviPSZGEC5hgIdA&s=03
 
Description Editorial in Stereophile, the world's largest-circulation hi-fi magazine 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An invited editorial on our work for the magazine.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.stereophile.com/search/node/holderied
 
Description European Researchers Night 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We participated in the European Researchers NIght 2021 with our interactive Biosonar display.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://2021.futuresnight.co.uk/
 
Description FUTURES 2019 European Researchers' Night 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact FUTURES is part of European Researchers' Night, a Europe-wide event dedicated to explaining research through fun and interactive learning.

More than 300 cities across 30 European countries will be taking part in the event on 27 and 28 September 2019.

We participated in the following Bristol activities
- We The Curious - Up Late
- Research Fair
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.futures2019.co.uk/
 
Description Festival of Nature 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Two-day presence at the Festival of Nature with our interactive Echolocation display.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/
 
Description Futures 2023 Schools Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Interactive echolocation display for the Futures event with schools visiting
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://futuresnight.co.uk/
 
Description Futures Schools fair; Battleships display 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Several hundred pupils attended the interactive schools fair. We were voted the most popular display by the visitors.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://futuresnight.co.uk/
 
Description Futures Up late; Battleships display 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An evening event on the SS Great Britain showcasing our work on acoustic camouflage with the interactive BATtleships display. Hundreds of visitors interactes with the team and the display.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://futuresnight.co.uk/
 
Description Gauteng And Northern Regions Bat Interest Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An online presentation for the Gauteng And Northern Regions Bat Interest Group in SouthernAfrica. Attendees mainly from Southern Africe, but with a global reach.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL http://batsgauteng.org.za/wp/
 
Description Marwa AlDiwiny IEEE Soft Robotics Podcast, three episodes 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I was interviewed by Marwa AlDiwiny for her podcast which she turned into three separate podcast episodes on our work. Well over 500 plays.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://soundcloud.com/ieeeras-softrobotics
 
Description National Trust Podcast episode 111 A Wild Night Out 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We were main contributers and were intereviewed for this episode of the NT podcast.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/podcasts/national-trust-podcast-series-six
 
Description Springwatch 2023 coverage of our research 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Our research into moth acoustic camouflage was covered extensively in BBC Springwatch in June 2023 live by Megan McCubbin.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mxb0
 
Description The Conversation article: Moths and bats have been in an evolutionary battle for millions of years - and we're still uncovering their tricks 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This online article summarising our work is very popular with ~1000 Facebook and ~500 Twitter mentions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://theconversation.com/moths-and-bats-have-been-in-an-evolutionary-battle-for-millions-of-years...
 
Description UK Acoustic Network Bioacoustics Special Interest Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The vision of the UK Acoustics Network is to bring together the internationally leading, but disparate UK acoustics, research community, to promote acoustics in the UK both nationally and internationally and to provide a coherent single point of access to acoustics research for industry and governmental agencies

The main aim of acoustics.ac.uk is to bring together researchers working in different areas of acoustics to enhance communication between groups, provide a focus for collaboration and innovation, and to maximise the future impact of acoustics based research in the UK.

We have created and I now chair the Bioacoustics Special Interest Group within the UKAN.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://acoustics.ac.uk/
 
Description Viral social media content 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A video on my research was posted on several social media channels by the university and has gone viral.
It now is the most viewed content from HE in the UK in TikTok with well over 1.2m views.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbristoluni/video/7244938663015025946
 
Description Wildlife Photographer of the Year - BATtleships interactive display for visitors 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Interactive BATleships display used at the opening of the WIldlife Photographer of the year exhibition at Bristol's MShed.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Winged Wednesday 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An online presentation as part of the #wingedwednesday webinar of 'Bats without Borders' to roughly 100 attendees.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022,2023
URL https://www.batswithoutborders.org/events.html