Hearing of robots

MEMS sensors have been applied to a range of biological applications. The key benefits of MEMS sensors are low intrusiveness, low power consumption and depth of applications due to their size. The vestibular system is a complex system responsible for controlling spatial orientation, head tilt and movement. This system is difficult to access due to its size and location in the head. As such, there exist a number of diseases associated with the vestibular system that are not fully understood. This thesis looks to contribute to the development of a biomimetic flow sensor capable of replicating the function of the cilia in the semicircular canals. A functioning sensor contributes towards work on a vestibular prosthesis and facilitates studies of the response of the vestibular system to different stimuli. This thesis develops further the model of the semicircular canal, with ampule and cupula through both the collection of physical data and simulation. This thesis develops a suitable simulation and model of a single semicircular, lateral semicircular canal and determines the response of the system to a rotational input. The gain and time constants of the system were found to fall within acceptable theoretical and biological models, however, the system lacks a definitive method for sensing directionality which were found to be key differences between the biological cupula and the biomimetic LCP flow sensor.