Researchers from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, and Duke University have developed a metamaterial made of paper and aluminum that can manipulate acoustic waves to more than double the resolution of acoustic imaging, focus acoustic waves, and control the angles at which sound passes through the metamaterial.

The structural design of the metamaterial makes it "hyperbolic", interacting with acoustic waves in two different ways. From one direction, the metamaterial exhibits a positive density interacting with acoustic waves normally; but from a perpendicular direction, it exhibits a negative density in terms of how the metamaterial interacts with sound. This makes acoustic waves bend at angles that are the exact opposite of what physics would lead researchers to expect.

By placing the metamaterial between an imaging device and the object being imaged, the researchers were able to more than double the resolution of the acoustic imaging, making it a flexible tool for medical imaging or therapeutic purposes.

Source 

Topics:
Diagnostics Medical Patient Monitoring

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