Integration of emitter and receiver dynamics in a biomimetic sonar head

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2016-10, Vol.140 (4), p.2974-2974
• Main Authors: Caspers, Philip, Müller, Rolf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.4969204

Horseshoe bats (family Rhinolophidae) transmit and receive sonar information about the environment using morphologically complex and dynamic noseleaf and pinnae. Both local shape features and dynamic deformations of the noseleaf and pinnae contribute to properties of the bat biosonar system. This work systematically explores the effect of local shape features on the dynamic properties of emission and reception baffles using a biomimetic robotic system inspired by the horseshoe bat. Parametric models of the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) noseleaf and pinnae with selectable combinations of local shape features were developed. Baffles with feature realizations were cast out of flexible silicone and mounted to a platform to dynamically actuate the emission and reception baffle surfaces with motions patterns similar to the greater horseshoe bat. Motions of the baffle surfaces were synchronized to the outgoing and incoming sonar waveform, and the time-frequency properties of the emission and reception baffle realizations were systematically characterized across spatial direction—individually and jointly. Different feature combinations of the noseleaf and pinnae local shape features were ranked for overall dynamic effect. It was found shape and motion patterns impacted the overall dynamics with relative strength over time, frequency, and spatial direction.