Spiders can hear sound using their web

The majority of animals that hear sound do so by detecting the minute fluctuations in the velocity of the medium. They do this by sensing the deflection of thin hairs that are driven by viscous forces in the acoustic medium. In this talk, we show that even spiders are able to hear sound through the acoustic flow-induced vibrations of their web. The ability to hear the flow of air in a sound field differs from the detection of sound pressure with an eardrum, as is used in some animals, including humans. The ubiquity of acoustic flow-sensing in nature suggests that the use of similar design principles could lead to new technologies for sensing sound.

Speaker(s): Dr. Ronald Miles,

Room: 109, Bldg: Resnick Engineering Hall , State University of New York – New Paltz, New Paltz, New York, United States, 12561