HomeEcology & Conservation BiologyBat Doppler Shift Compensation

Bat Doppler Shift Compensation

Interactive 3D model of CF-FM bat echolocation: watch a horseshoe bat lower its call frequency in flight so the returning echo stays locked on its reference frequency, with live emitted/echo frequency readouts and the two-leg Doppler formula.

Ecology & Conservation Biology3DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 2D version
bat-echolocation-doppler-shift-processing ↗ Open standalone

Horseshoe bats hunt using long constant-frequency echolocation calls tuned precisely to an "acoustic fovea" in their inner ear — but their own flight speed Doppler-shifts every returning echo upward, threatening to push it out of that narrow band of peak sensitivity. This simulation renders a bat and a moving moth in 3D and computes the real two-leg Doppler formula for a bounced signal, letting you control the bat's closing speed and the target's speed independently. With Doppler Shift Compensation switched on, the bat continuously retunes its outgoing call frequency so the echo always lands back on its 83 kHz reference frequency; switch it off to watch the echo frequency drift with flight speed instead, exactly the problem real CF-FM bats solve every time they give chase.

⚙ Under the hood

Interactive 3D model of CF-FM bat echolocation: watch a horseshoe bat lower its call frequency in flight so the returning echo stays locked on its reference frequency, with live emitted/echo frequency readouts and the real two-leg Doppler formula.

echolocationdoppler-effectbatsbioacousticssound-wavessensory-biology

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install

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