System and method for determining status of an object by insonification

A system for detecting anomalies in at least one characteristic of a rotating object, said device comprising:

• a flexible piezoelectric element having access to a ground plane and incorporating at least one electrically conductive element to facilitate communication externally, said flexible piezoelectric element receiving a physical input that is translated to an electrical output,
• wherein said flexible piezoelectric element substantially circumscribes a circumference of said rotating object;
• at least one transceiver, external to said flexible piezoelectric element, in operable communication with said flexible piezoelectric element;
• and
• at least one processor in operable communication with said transceiver,
• wherein said processor identifies said anomalies in a pre-specified manner.

A method for sensing pre-specified characteristics of a rotating object, the method comprising:

• receiving at a flexible piezoelectric element circumscribing a circumference of said rotating object, acoustic energy traversing at least a portion of said object;
• translating at least a portion of said received acoustic energy to a signal represented by an electrical current;
• and
• communicating said signal to a device external to said piezoelectric element for subsequent processing,
• wherein said processing results in identifying said pre-specified characteristics.