Monday, June 3, 2013

This fly is a great listener

Ever wonder why we have flies? Except for the use of their "babies" to clean out burn wounds?

Well, according to the Acoustical Society of America, a parasitic fly called Ormia ochracea, which is native to the Southeast United States and Central America, has ears that sense sound pressure--much like human ears do.

Ronald Miles, a professor of engineering at Binghamton University, and his team, studied the way this tiny fly could target sounds coming from different directions.

They designed a microphone small enough for a hearing aid that does the same--pivoting inside the ear in response tro changing sound pressure.

Of course, this took a ton of tinkering--the creative part. That, and saying, "Hey, I think that fly is listening to that guy over there--what a great idea for a hearing aid."

The paper will be presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics in Montreal June 2-7.

For more...check out: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/603695/?sc=dwhn.