Rolf Mueller, Virginia Tech associate professor of mechanical engineering, has traveled the world investigating the prolific species, using his fascination with the creatures to further a research program focusing on sensing technology for robots. Most autonomous systems have lasers, sonar, or video cameras that can deliver vast streams of two- and three-dimensional data, helping the robot or aircraft sense its position and the obstacles it must face. But sometimes there’s just too much information, which can overwhelm the systems’ necessarily small on-board computers. Bats can compute all these inputs very quickly, however. Their ear baffles, ranging from tiny to enormous, may help them do this, with ridges, grooves and flaps that help them perceive their environments. Some bats also have ‘noseleaves’, small flaps of skin growing from their noses, which are thought to be sensitive to vibrations in the air. Mueller is studying bats’ use of 'sidelobes', secondary ear structures that point away from the most sensitive auditory centers. These structures apparently heighten their sense of hearing. In most radar systems, sidelobes are considered a noise-creating nuisance, but Mueller’s bat research suggests they might be useful. He says understanding bat physiology could lead to better biomimicry, leading to customizable sensing systems. For more information please visit: http://www.research.vt.edu/resmag/2011winter/bats.html
Eavesdropper