Science Daily March 15, 2022
Insect vision systems have been mapped for some time now to improve camera-based detections. Researchers in Australia shown that it is possible pick up clear and crisp acoustic signatures of drones, including very small and quiet ones, using an algorithm based on the hoverfly’s visual system. They converted acoustic signals into spectrograms and used the neural pathway of the hoverfly brain to improve and suppress unrelated signals and noise, increasing the detection range for the sounds they wanted to detect. They looked for narrowband and/or broadband to pick up drone acoustics at short to medium distances, but at longer distance the signal was weaker and both techniques struggle to achieve reliable results. Compared with traditional techniques, bio-inspired processing improved detection ranges by between 30 and 49 per cent, depending on the type of drone and the conditions. The findings could help combat the growing global threat posed by IED-carrying drones. Video https://youtu.be/zAmiyaDH5oQ …read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Flight model and the geometrical configuration of acoustic array. Credit: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Volume 151, Issue 2, 10.1121/10.0009350Â