By copying how seal whiskers work, robots can now 'see' invisible ripples underwater while ignoring their own vibrations.
March 25, 2026
Original Paper
Vibrissa inspired geometries enhance sensitivity of wake-induced vibrations
arXiv · 2603.22556
The Takeaway
Seals use the unique undulating shape of their whiskers to track prey through dark water. Engineers found that mimicking this specific geometry allows underwater sensors to filter out self-generated noise, making them exponentially more sensitive to the tiny ripples left behind by moving objects.
From the abstract
We report on experiments designed to characterize the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and wake-induced vibration (WIV) experienced by bluff bodies immersed in both steady and unsteady flows. Using a real-time Cyber-Physical System (CPS) we systematically prescribe the virtual mass, spring constant, and damping of elastically mounted models. This allows us to characterize the forces and displacements of the free vibration of a circular cylinder, elliptical cylinder, and a seal whisker inspired vib