Characterization of Acoustic Echoes & a Comparison of Bat and Human Waveforms

Student: Yiming Jia

Advisor: Christopher Baker (Engineering)

Abstract: I am fascinated with echolocation, an essential ability for most existing animals in the nature. Those animals exploit the ability of echolocation to guide themselves, avoid obstacles and search for food. Two prior researches have focused on the acoustic radar system building based on LabVIEW while their LabVIEW code still has some flaws, such as controllability and stability, and they failed on signals measurement with changing range. This research focuses on the two parts, calibration and characterization of acoustic radar system. In the calibration part, more measurement parameters are supposed to be measured and output, and some codes should be revised to make the received signals stable when sampling frequency is increased. Because the research is aim to simulate the animal physical hearing structure, there is another receiving channel should be set for animal’s two ears simulation. In the characterization part, testing signals are supposed to be simulated and be input into the system firstly. Then, bats signals and human’s tongue click signals are supposed to be simulated and transmitted to target with different range. After receiving groups of signals, we should analyze received signals and compare them by transmitting different signals based on MATLAB. By conducting the research, we might be able to develop the current code for a further study and also find out how the objects being identified by echolocation ability. More importantly, it is less well-known that blind human beings also have a similar echolocation ability. By conducting the research, it might be able to provide some very important evidence or properties for a further research and helping blind human by developing man-made ears equipment.

Booth: 225