Barn owls pinpoint their prey solely by relying on acoustic cues. Asymmetrical ears and unique disk-like facial features allow the owl to create a 3-D visual map with their brain to pinpoint the location of a sound.
The Barn owls' asymmetrical ears provide time and level difference information to detect sounds on a horizontal and vertical plane to pinpoint the direction of the sound source. They identify their prey solely by relying on acoustic cues. These creatures can create a 3D coordinate map in their head by finding three key elements: the vertical projection of sound, the horizontal projection of sound, and the distance from the sound source. We can learn a lot from owls when it comes to listening. What designs could we create? Perhaps a new hearing aid or a unique home entertainment system could be developed. Or even spark new ideas for autonomous vehicle sensing and safety systems.
