MEMS Biomimetic Superficial and Canal Neuromasts for Flow Sensing
Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli,
Debarun Sengupta,
Elgar Kanhere,
Meghali Bora,
Jianmin Miao,
Michael Triantafyllou
Affiliations
Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli
Advanced Production Engineering (APE) Department, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
Debarun Sengupta
Advanced Production Engineering (APE) Department, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
Elgar Kanhere
Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Singapore 138602, Singapore
Meghali Bora
Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Singapore 138602, Singapore
Jianmin Miao
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Michael Triantafyllou
MIT Sea Grant College Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Neuromast sensors found in fishes detect flows around their body and are known to generate hydrodynamic awareness. This work reports the development of superficial neuromast (SN) and canal neuromast (CN) inspired MEMS flow sensors. The MEMS artificial neuromast sensors mimic the key features of the SN and the CN such as the shape and the mechanical properties of the cupula. In case of both SN and CN MEMS sensors, hydrogels with varying initiator concentrations were used to replicate the Young’s modulus of the biological cupula. The MEMS SN and CN sensors were experimentally characterized in steady-state and oscillatory flows respectively.
