Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally ....Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally efficient engineering models that are accurate and efficient for high speed combustion in rotating detonation engines and scramjets. Expected outcomes are knowledge and tools needed to develop practical and effective supersonic propulsion engines for access to space, defence and high speed point-to-point flight.
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Sensing and Communications for Tactical Radio: Mapping the RF Weather. This project investigates sensing, localisation and communication strategies to improve the performance of modern tactical radio networks. Such networks face all of the well-known design challenges of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) but with added complication of a contested and adversarial operating environment. By exploiting the power of radio nodes to sense the radio spectrum, as well as to communicate over it, a distribut ....Sensing and Communications for Tactical Radio: Mapping the RF Weather. This project investigates sensing, localisation and communication strategies to improve the performance of modern tactical radio networks. Such networks face all of the well-known design challenges of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) but with added complication of a contested and adversarial operating environment. By exploiting the power of radio nodes to sense the radio spectrum, as well as to communicate over it, a distributed network of nodes can create a detailed picture of the surrounding radio-frequency (RF) environment: the nodes can work together to map the “RF weather”. In this project we will design advanced sensing and localisation methods to accurately map the RF spectrum, and then exploit this map in communication system design.Read moreRead less
A stochastic geometric framework for Bayesian sensor array processing. This project develops a mathematical framework, and a new generation of techniques, for sensor array processing to address real-world problems with uncertainty in array parameters and number of signals. The outcomes will enhance the capability of sensors in many application areas including, radar, sonar, astronomy and wireless communications.
When stabilization and optimization meet: a codesign approach. The next generation of engineered systems need to perform complex tasks with precision, and be robust, resilient and adaptive to their environment enabled by the confluence of control, optimization, learning and computation Understanding the interplay between robust stability and optimization is key to this endeavor. Many techniques, such as model predictive control and reinforcement learning, rely on an intricate interplay between ....When stabilization and optimization meet: a codesign approach. The next generation of engineered systems need to perform complex tasks with precision, and be robust, resilient and adaptive to their environment enabled by the confluence of control, optimization, learning and computation Understanding the interplay between robust stability and optimization is key to this endeavor. Many techniques, such as model predictive control and reinforcement learning, rely on an intricate interplay between an optimization-based control algorithm and an optimization routine used to calculate the control law. This project aims to develop a general design framework for stability, suboptimality and robustness of such algorithms, that can be used in range of novel applications, such as driverless cars and drones. Read moreRead less
Ultra-fast serialised all optical image processing: addressing the electronic bottleneck in the world's fastest camera. Serial time encoded amplified microscopy can capture over a million frames per second. At this rate, a megapixel image would fill a terabyte hard disk in a second. We will use photonics to condense and manipulated the video stream so that only the important features are 'seen', making it practical to process and store on a computer.
4D Printed Origami Structures: Deformation Mechanisms and Mechanics. This project aims to understand the physics and self-folding mechanisms of 4D printed origami structures and materials by utilising interdisciplinary approaches. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of origami engineering and structural mechanics. The success of this project will form a foundation for studying shape-shifting and sequential control of smart origamis. The fundamental mechanics will be appli ....4D Printed Origami Structures: Deformation Mechanisms and Mechanics. This project aims to understand the physics and self-folding mechanisms of 4D printed origami structures and materials by utilising interdisciplinary approaches. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of origami engineering and structural mechanics. The success of this project will form a foundation for studying shape-shifting and sequential control of smart origamis. The fundamental mechanics will be applied to characterise and design novel smart materials/structures with tuneable shape-morphing and mechanical performance. This should provide significant benefits to improvement of their safety, stability and reliability performance in applications such as space engineering, wearable technology and smart robotics.Read moreRead less
Managing the risks posed by Artificial General Intelligence. It is widely acknowledged that a failure to implement appropriate controls for the next generation of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), could have catastrophic consequences, including in the worst case - the extinction of the human race. This research aims to forecast the risks associated with AGI systems and identify the controls required to ensure that risks and existential threats are minimised. The exp ....Managing the risks posed by Artificial General Intelligence. It is widely acknowledged that a failure to implement appropriate controls for the next generation of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), could have catastrophic consequences, including in the worst case - the extinction of the human race. This research aims to forecast the risks associated with AGI systems and identify the controls required to ensure that risks and existential threats are minimised. The expected outputs will provide designers, organisations, regulators and governments with a framework to support the design, implementation, and management of safe and efficient AGI systems. This will ensure that the potential far-reaching benefits of AGI are realised without undue threat to society.Read moreRead less
Outmaneuvering correlated noise in quantum computers. The project aims to characterise and control quantum machines available today. These machines overwhelmingly suffer from noise with complex structures. Thus, a key target of the project is to develop a theory to describe and manipulate complex quantum processes. The project then intends to apply this theory to commercial-grade quantum computers. This approach is anticipated to lead to a new understanding of time-correlated complex quantum pro ....Outmaneuvering correlated noise in quantum computers. The project aims to characterise and control quantum machines available today. These machines overwhelmingly suffer from noise with complex structures. Thus, a key target of the project is to develop a theory to describe and manipulate complex quantum processes. The project then intends to apply this theory to commercial-grade quantum computers. This approach is anticipated to lead to a new understanding of time-correlated complex quantum processes and develop methods to enhance the performance of today's quantum computers. Noise characterisation and mitigation should have commercial value and benefit research groups working to develop quantum technologies, both in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Emerging technologies of warfare as a challenge to the law of armed conflict: cyber-attacks, robotics and nanotechnology. In order to reduce suffering in war, international law places limits on the ways in which the adversary can be harmed. This project will assess how the law fares in dealing with emerging technologies, such as hostile uses of computer networks, robotics and nanotechnology. It will provide guidance to policy makers on how the law can be improved.
Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT): structured networked control systems. Networked control systems are an emerging technology that combines control, communication and computation to deliver solutions for a range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, defence and other Industrial Interent of Things (IIoT) applications. The current analysis and design approaches often take a ``monolithic" view of the system, which render them inadequate for addressing many importa ....Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT): structured networked control systems. Networked control systems are an emerging technology that combines control, communication and computation to deliver solutions for a range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, defence and other Industrial Interent of Things (IIoT) applications. The current analysis and design approaches often take a ``monolithic" view of the system, which render them inadequate for addressing many important IIoT applications. This proposal will exploit specific features and structure of the plant, the communication network and the distributed computation to provide an analysis and design methodology which will deliver significant advances in control and optimised performance of IIoT with benefits to the economy and society.Read moreRead less