Super-Small Microphone Detects Motion of Air Particles to Pinpoint Gunfire In Battle

Wait, don't call it a microphone -- it's an acoustic vector sensor

By Stuart Fox Posted 03.09.2010 at 5:09 pm 8 Comments

The Microflown via Dvice

Between the yelling of sergeants, the rumble of jet engines, and the deafening pop of gunfire, a soldier's sense of hearing rapidly deteriorates in the heat of battle. Luckily, the Dutch company Microflown has designed a special microphone that can do a soldier's listening for him. By measuring the mechanical movement of individual air particles, as opposed to sound waves as a whole, the device can not only pinpoint the origin of sniper fire or approaching aircraft, but detail their make and model, as well.

Rather than using vibrations to detect sound, the mic uses platinum strips only 600 atoms wide. Two pairs of strips are arranged in different directions. Air molecules passing between the strips cool the strips at different speeds depending on the direction of flow, and a computer then interprets that cooling as an exact x, y, and z source for the sound.

The device can also determine the pitch and character of the noise to distinguish between distant explosions, human screams, and chopper blades. Plus, since each mic is only the size of a match head, each soldier can carry one individually, giving them personal autonomy, or turning a squad into one giant listening post.

So far, the armies of the Netherlands, Germany, India, Poland, New Zealand and Australia have agreed to test the device out.

[Dvice]

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8 Comments

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uuuhhhhhhhhh...

03/10/10 at 9:33 am

pretty colors :)

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ToomeyND

03/10/10 at 9:34 am

It seems to me that this microphone attached to an on-screen display could give soldiers a similar view as being shot in a video game such as Halo. Very impressive stuff. I know that a similar device already exists (albeit much larger) that is attached to tanks that also pinpoints the location of gunfire.

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bessiemae

03/16/10 at 4:55 am

What is to prevent it from picking up return fire? In a Robotic War it could fire on any bullet firing.
In a valley you would have repercussions and echos also.
I think this would be used in Sniper eradication only. What do you think?

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taflic

03/22/10 at 11:36 am

STOP DROP AND ROLL.. its a match O_O

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elevenbest

04/05/10 at 10:22 am

i can describe this as a USMC sniper as a waste of time we've been testing with these and they run out of juice /battery problems and when a grain of sand touches anything it breaks and explosions can ruin this by a sound wave only to put it plain as a sniper or squad designated marksman i dont want one but like the idea semperfi

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judytgear

07/19/10 at 9:58 am

From what I've heard about this new invention, it looks as if it could actually be a negative thing. I read on www.articletech.net that it can be very distracting for the soldier and it could cause confusion.

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White King

10/05/10 at 2:53 pm

@judytgear
I'm not sure that trained soldiers can be confused that easily with a one more data to compile... They are train to work with maximum info that they can acquire.

On other hand, I agree with elevenbest, thingy really look fragile. Maybe some casing or other way of strengthen it could help (casing wouldn't since it work with open membranes but hey... its a start:)
http://staupisati.com/

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alasiri5

12/04/10 at 1:14 pm