Patent ID: 8548759

Claim:
An apparatus for characterizing a physical property of a sample, the apparatus comprising: a first acoustic transducer, configured to insonify a portion of the sample in a first direction; a second acoustic transducer, configured to insonify the portion of the sample in a second direction; a processor circuit, coupled to the first and second acoustic transducers, the processor circuit configured to control operation of the first and second transducers to be capable of acoustically bidirectionally deforming the portion of the sample over a deformation range about a neutral-deformation locus within the deformation range; a deformation response sensor, coupled to the processor circuit, the response sensor configured to measure a deformation response of at least a portion of the sample to the insonification; and wherein the processor circuit is configured to provide an indication characterizing the physical property of the sample using the measured response of at least a portion of the sample to the insonification.