One of nature’s most disliked creatures may hold the key to a breakthrough in disaster response. A multidisciplinary team from Purdue University is studying mosquito antennae to better understand their sensitivity to vibrations. If successful, this research could lead to significant advancements in monitoring and detecting natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.
Research groups led by Professors Pablo Zavattieri and Ximena Bernal at Purdue conducted this work, which has been published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia. Although still in its early stages, the team is optimistic about their findings.
Inspired by nature, engineering relies on using natural phenomena to advance scientific research from the very beginning. Despite lacking traditional ears, mosquitoes use their antennae for navigation and auditory perception. They home in on essential sounds amid background noise such as their own wingbeats through the analysis of sensory hairs.
PhD candidate Phani Saketh Dasika (MSCE ’23), a civil and construction engineering researcher involved with the team, explains that they have already gained profound insights into how these adaptations enhance auditory sensitivity. “Using advanced micro-CT imaging to create high-fidelity CAD models for finite element analysis, we discovered that mosquito antennal features enable species-specific acoustic target detection,” Dasika says.
Their research has provided crucial information regarding the potential use of mosquito antennae in designing acoustic sensors. Bernal notes, “By modeling and contrasting the response of antennas used by different mosquito species for various purposes – hearing mates or eavesdropping on frogs – we’ve been able to identify features that modulate hearing sensitivity and tuning.”
In terms of societal impact, insights from mosquito antennae could also inform the development of smart noise-canceling materials. According to Zavattieri, these materials may include microfluidic channels or tunable metamaterials and be used for soundproofing panels in buildings, noise-canceling headphones, or even acoustic cloaking devices.
“Imagine urban environments equipped with bio-inspired sensors capable of discerning specific sounds amidst city life,” says Zavattieri. “During crises such as earthquakes, these sensors become invaluable by swiftly detecting faint distress signals and guiding rescue efforts.”
The team is currently focused on recreating the antennae using 3D printing, testing different materials at varying sizes to assess frequency response. This research is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Multi-University Research Initiative (AFOSR-FA9550-15-1-0009) and the National Science Foundation (IOS-2054636).
