To most, earwax
is just one of many odd and icky substances produced by the human body.
But for a group of scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology,
it may serve as a model for synthetic filters and adhesives used in
robotics and other technological fields.
Their efforts were inspired by Alexis Noel, a
doctoral student working in David Hu's laboratory, whose boyfriend was
forced to visit the doctor after water became trapped in his ear --
stuck behind a blockage of earwax.
"A couple years later I was reminiscing and
thought: why would it block the water like that? And it just started
this snowball effect of me and David [Hu] just asking questions about
earwax and how it works," Noel explained in a news release.
Those questions led to lab experiments and
tests, which offered insights into the unique physical qualities of
earwax. Earwax is an exceptional filter. The physiological purpose of
earwax is to block and trap debris and bacteria, keeping foreign
particles from making their way into the inner ear.
Its adhesive qualities help capture
particulates. As the wax accumulates dust, it begins to break down and
crumble, allowing it to exit the ear and make way for fresh wax.
Noel and her colleagues determined earwax to
be a non-Newtonian, shear-thinning fluid. It is extremely sticky and
static when untouched, but begins to flow more quickly when outside
forces are applied to it. Though earwax remains in the ear for some
time, it eventually makes its way out as it is influenced by the
pressure and movements of the jaw.
The combination of qualities allows earwax to
do its job effectively, but without overstaying its welcome. Such
qualities could make for an ideal adhesive filtering agent, useful for
robots or machinery.
But scientists say they still have more research to do before they can start putting earwax on robot gears.
"Obviously you're not going to have earwax sitting on a
Mars rover
to protect it from dust," said Noel. "We are still trying to understand
what is earwax and how does it work the way it works. And once we
really understand that we can start applying it [to new technology]."
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