Model Development and Analysis of a Cricket Filiform Hair Socket Under Low Velocity Air Currents

Abstract

Cricket filiform hairs are very sensitive to air currents in the animal’s immediate environment generated by movement of other animals or objects. When an air current is experienced by the animal, filiform hairs located on a pair of abdominal appendages called cerci deflect from their original position, activating the sensing mechanism. Though the flow sensing mechanism of the hair has been studied previously and flow sensors have been fabricated based on the same principle, the socket structure in which the hair base sits and which encompasses the hair below the skin of the cricket has not been characterized in terms of deformation and stress transfers. This paper presents a preliminary study on the response of the socket under a given loading or displacement the hair experiences. If the socket is characterized well, the mechanical principles can be applied in the design of a highly-responsive MEMS senor.