Scientists study orca ears, employ lasers to create hyper-sensitive underwater microphone

There are many reasons to wish to observe what is going on inside the ocean, from whale migration, to the new stylistic resurgence of hot crustacean bands. There are specific inherent difficulties, however, in making a powerful underwater microphone, namely all of that water you have to cope with. A team of scientists has taken cues from the design of orca ears, if you want to develop a strong microphone which may work far beneath the waves. The researchers developed membranes 25 times thinner than plastic wrap, which fluctuate as sound is made. So that it will operate at extreme depths, however, the microphone must fill with water to preserve a consistent pressure. So, how does one monitor the minute movements of a membrane hampered by the presence of water? Lasers, obviously! The hydrophone can capture a 160-decibel range of sounds and operate at depths of eleven,000 meters, where the pressure is around 1,100 times what we’re used to in the world. So if the orcas themselves ever master the laser, at the least we’ll have the capacity to hear them coming.

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This post is tagged: consistent pressure, decibel range, extreme depths, plastic wrap, scientists, underwater microphone, whale migration