Microengineered hydromechanical cochlear model.

ABSTRACT: Micromachined fluid-filled variable impedance waveguides intended to mimic the mechanics of the passive mammalian cochlea have been fabricated and experimentally examined. The structures were microfabricated with dimensions similar to those of the biological system. Experimental tests demonstrate acoustically excited traveling fluid-structure waves with phase accumulations between 1.5 and 3 pi radians at the location of maximum response. The resulting measured frequency-position mapping function, with similarities to that observed in the cochlea, is presented. Results for both isotropic and orthotropic membranes are reported, demonstrating that the achieved orthotropy ratio of 8:1 in tension is insufficient to produce the sharp filtering observed in animal experiments and many computationa

SUBMITTER: White RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC547842 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature