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I recently dropped a very tiny object onto the floor in a normal room (mass probably low milligrams). I heard it hit the ground. I would like to build a circuit that could "hear" such a small sound and register it. The caveat here is that I also want the same kind of dynamic range, so its not just a matter of amplifying an ordinary microphone zillions of times.

I am also aware that the surface response of the floor was a factor, but how does one go about duplicating the sensitivity of the ear?

Dirk Bruere
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    Consider automatic gain control. Your ear wouldn't have heard that sound if there had been people in the room talking, for example. – The Photon Mar 11 '20 at 17:31
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    Beware that your brain does a lot of filtering so a circuit that 'hears' a specific sound might need an AI and a lot of training. – Oldfart Mar 11 '20 at 17:43
  • @Oldfart Well, let's simplify the "thing" to an impulse response – Dirk Bruere Mar 11 '20 at 18:15
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    @DirkBruere would be awesome if you defined what sensitivity, at which frequency or frequency range you really want to reproduce – Marcus Müller Mar 11 '20 at 18:27
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    You and the hearing aid industry would both like this to happen, but given all their resources, the hearing aid industry is not there yet. – Scott Seidman Mar 11 '20 at 18:47
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    Are you including both ears (stereo improves signal recognition) and the brain in volume and mass? – Andy aka Mar 11 '20 at 20:02
  • @Andyaka Just one ear, with all processing done externally on an arbitrarily powerful DSP chip. I am more interested in what type of microphone can match the cochlea – Dirk Bruere Mar 12 '20 at 08:23
  • Well, if you can extract the transfer function of the cochlea then we have a question. If you can't then it has no relevance on this SE site as far as I can tell. – Andy aka Mar 12 '20 at 09:18
  • @Andyaka Never mind the transfer function. What is a microphone of comparable sensitivity in the same volume? – Dirk Bruere Mar 12 '20 at 09:20
  • You're not comparing apples with apples. How can you compare a microphone with the cochlea without some deep understanding of what the cochlea produces independent of what stereo hearing and the brain bring to the party. – Andy aka Mar 12 '20 at 09:26
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    @Andyaka The sensitivity (and noise) of a microphone in a comparable size resonator can be compared. I want to know the best microphone type given the size. – Dirk Bruere Mar 12 '20 at 09:46
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    If you have found one already, kindly share with the community (active: 3 months ago) Since I am having similar situation, need a mic with sensitivity closest to human ear P.S: I understand this should be in comment section. "You must have 50 reputation to comment" – gijoe Jul 06 '20 at 08:11

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