To address the challenges in developing miniature directional microphones, a novel micro-fabricated directional microphone inspired by the superacute ears of the parasitoid fly Ormia ocharacea is presented in this paper. It consists of two clamped circular silicon diaphragms structurally coupled by an oxide/nitride composite bridge. The separation between the diaphragm centers is 1.25 mm, about...

A vacuum-sealed miniature X-ray tube based on a carbon nanotube field-emission electron source has been demonstrated. The diameter of the X-ray tube is 10 mm; the total length of the tube is 50 mm, and no external vacuum pump is required for the operation. The maximum tube voltage reaches up to 70 kV, and the X-ray tube generates intense X-rays with the air kerma strength of 108 Gy·cm2 min-1. I...

Inspired by the hearing organ of the fly Ormia ochracea, a miniature sound localization sensor is developed, which can be used to pinpoint a sound source in two dimensions described by the azimuth and elevation angles. The sensor device employs an equilateral triangle configuration consisting of three mechanically coupled circular membranes whose oscillations are detected by a fiber-optic syste...