Micro-ear project
Issued: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:18:00 BST
Scientists have been using microscopes for hundreds of years to study worlds hidden to the naked eye, now they have developed a micro-ear to help them to eavesdrop too.
Micro Ear [mp4]The micro-ear device, developed by scientists Prof Miles Padgett in the School of Physics & Astronomy and Prof Jon Cooper in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, uses a special array of focused laser beams to allow scientists to listen to tiny organisms such as bacteria.
The micro-ear device works by surrounding the organism to be studied in a ring of tiny glass beads, each trapped and held in place by laser beams.
The organism sits in a specially-etched dish to focus the movements of the fluid surrounding it. As the organism moves, displacing the liquid, the surrounding beads wobble and this motion is captured by a high-speed camera and converted into sound waves.
Professor Padgett said: 'Ultimately we hope an ability to listen to micro-organisms will help us understand how they interact and how drugs disrupt them: a bit like listening to the engine of a car to identify a fault.'
The micro-ear project is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and involves researchers at the University of Oxford and the National Institute of Medical Research.
Find out more