Novel Hearing Implant Devices

Aim:To use our exploration of insect hearing as inspiration for the development of innovative new hearing implant devices.Objectives:
1. Explore how insect hearing systems utilise structural and geometric acoustics to extract useful acoustic frequency information from incident sound.
2. Investigate how to create insect-inspired acoustic frequency processing systems in the form of hearing implant devices.
3. Design, model, simulate, prototype and characterise new bio-inspired hearing implant devices.
Summary:This project will utilise our understanding of how the tiny ears of some insects passively extract useful frequency information from the acoustic environment as inspiration for developing new hearing implants. To achieve this, the project will consider how to create miniature acoustic systems as the basis for new developments in hearing implant design. The research will create the new hearing implant systems by coupling the latest micro-manufacturing techniques developed in CUE with bio-inspired design ideas.
Project Background:Many insects have micro-sized ears to detect sound, evolved primarily for communication or to detect and avoid predators. In nature, acoustic sensor 'design' uses the principle of conditioning the signal as soon as possible, leading to the evolution of unusual geometric structures. These ears do not suffer from some of the limitations present in existing acoustic sensors. For example, some have been shown to have heightened directionality, sensitivity and frequency response compared to artificial miniature microphones, and also have embedded 'active' functions to enhance signal conditioning, e.g. amplifying specific sounds while attenuating background noise. This project seeks to use biological inspiration as a mechanism for improving miniature artificial acoustic sensors, with a specific focus on hearing implant design. To do this the research will take a multi-disciplinary approach, considering the biological background both of insect hearing and hearing implant use, and so utilise methods and techniques relevant to different disciplines as appropriate. An international industry partner is involved in the project (Hemideina), and the student will thus gain research experience in acoustics engineering and hearing systems from both an academic and industrial viewpoint. They will develop a mix of technical skills in signal processing; device design, manufacture and characterisation; speech processing. This mix of academic and industrial experience and skill set will place the student in an excellent position for their future career. The project will initially develop the new hearing implant systems as 3D computer models, primarily using finite element methods to analyse their acoustic responses. Microfabrication techniques developed in CUE will be used to realise the hearing implant structures, both as passive frequency analysers, and acousto-electric sensors. The initial experimental characterisation of the new systems will take place within the sound-proof room located in CUE's TIC labs. The project will be iterative, with new findings feeding directly back into the engineering design process. As the project progresses, the student will spend time working with the industrial partner in Australia in order to ensure the work focusses on producing designs that can lead towards commercial exploitation. The final goal of the project is thus to develop new paradigms for hearing implants with enhanced frequency sensitivity.