Micro-Machined Flow Sensors Mimicking Lateral Line Canal Neuromasts

Micromachines

Hendrik Herzog¹  Siegfried Steltenkamp¹  Adrian Klein¹  Simon Tätzner²  Elisabeth Schulze²  Horst Bleckmann¹ 

[1] Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Bonn 53115, Germany; E-Mails:;Micro Systems Technology (MST), Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Bonn 53175, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: flow sensing;    artificial lateral line;    MEMS;    mechanosensor;    lateral line canal;    finite element modeling;   

DOI  :  10.3390/mi6081189

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Fish sense water motions with their lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory system that contains up to several thousand mechanoreceptors, called neuromasts. Neuromasts occur freestanding on the skin and in subepidermal canals. We developed arrays of flow sensors based on lateral line canal neuromasts using a biomimetic approach. Each flow sensor was equipped with a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) lamella integrated into a canal system by means of thick- and thin-film technology. Our artificial lateral line system can estimate bulk flow velocity from the spatio-temporal propagation of flow fluctuations. Based on the modular sensor design, we were able to detect flow rates in an industrial application of tap water flow metering. Our sensory system withstood water pressures of up to six bar. We used finite element modeling to study the fluid flow inside the canal system and how this flow depends on canal dimensions. In a second set of experiments, we separated the flow sensors from the main stream by means of a flexible membrane. Nevertheless, these biomimetic neuromasts were still able to sense flow fluctuations. Fluid separation is a prerequisite for flow measurements in medical and pharmaceutical applications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.