Researchers patent spider silk microphone
Download mp3 (1.09 MB)From adhesives to airplane parts, spider-web silks have long inspired inventors with their featherweight strength and flexibility.
One day, we might even broadcast through microphones made of the stuff.
Most microphones mimic the human ear: Acoustic waves cause vibrations in a thin, eardrum-like diaphragm, which are converted to electrical signals.
But, broadly speaking, hearing is really just a way of getting information from wiggles.
It turns out some orb spiders can detect more than the struggles of an insect caught in their webs; they can sense the intensity and direction of incoming sounds, too.
That’s because their silk is sensitive to a broader frequency range than any microphone.
The researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have patented the approach and are working to commercialize it.
