Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) awarded $386,911 on May 4, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to support development of a bioinspired dual-sensing acoustic probe for ear canal measurements. The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York, doing business as SUNY at Binghamton, serves as the fiscal administrator for this project, which is scheduled for completion by April 30, 2031. The research deliverable is a transformative acoustic measurement technology that simultaneously captures acoustic pressure and particle velocity within the human ear canal—a significant advancement over existing pressure-only microphone systems that suffer from positioning sensitivity, calibration complexity, and limited detection capabilities.

The dual-sensing probe technology is designed to enable more accurate, reliable assessment of otoacoustic emissions and middle-ear reflectance, critical diagnostic measures for evaluating peripheral auditory function. The innovation draws from bioinspired engineering principles based on orb-weaving spider web mechanics, which detect acoustic particle motion with sensitivity exceeding known biological eardrums. The proposed system aims to detect otoacoustic emissions at least 10 decibels quieter than state-of-the-art systems, reducing signal-averaging time requirements and enabling detection of fainter signals particularly valuable for hearing diagnostics and research applications.