• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.355-364
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• 2010

Filiform hairs that respond to movements of the surrounding medium are the mechanoreceptors commonly found in arthropods and vertebrates. In these creatures, the filiform hairs function as a sensory system for raider detection. Parametric analyses of the motion response of filiform hairs are conducted by using a mathematical model of an artificial flow sensor to understand the possible operating ranges of a microfabricated device. It is found that the length and diameter of the sensory hair are the major parameters that determine the mechanical sensitivities and responses in a mean flow with an oscillating component. By changing the hair length, the angular displacement, velocity, and acceleration could be detected in a wide range of frequencies. Although the torques due to drag and virtual mass are very small, they are also very influential factors on the hair motion. The resonance frequency of the hair decreases as the length and diameter of the hair increase.