Opto-Microfluidics: A Rapid and Sensitive Platform for Biological Diagnostics. One in four people above 25 years suffer from diabetes-related diseases in Australia, with an associated economic cost exceeding $3 billion a year. A microdevice for continuous glucose monitoring would help patients to manage the disease, leading to huge individual, clinical and societal benefits. Life expectancy is expected to increase along with quality of life. Integration of the microdevice with insulin delivery w ....Opto-Microfluidics: A Rapid and Sensitive Platform for Biological Diagnostics. One in four people above 25 years suffer from diabetes-related diseases in Australia, with an associated economic cost exceeding $3 billion a year. A microdevice for continuous glucose monitoring would help patients to manage the disease, leading to huge individual, clinical and societal benefits. Life expectancy is expected to increase along with quality of life. Integration of the microdevice with insulin delivery would realise an 'artificial pancreas', revolutionising the management and treatment of the disease. The technology will also provide a platform for other point-of-care medical diagnostic devices, which will allow early participation in this emerging market and cement Australia's position in bionanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Comparison of Techniques for the Removal of Ocular Artefact from the Electroencephalogram: A Validation Study. Although employed extensively for both research and clinical purposes, the utility of the electroencephalograph (EEG) is hampered by the contaminating effects of eye movements on these 'brain waves'. If it can be validated, the recent Australian development of a solution to this problem will mean that the EEG can be measured more quickly and accurately. This purpose of this research is ....Comparison of Techniques for the Removal of Ocular Artefact from the Electroencephalogram: A Validation Study. Although employed extensively for both research and clinical purposes, the utility of the electroencephalograph (EEG) is hampered by the contaminating effects of eye movements on these 'brain waves'. If it can be validated, the recent Australian development of a solution to this problem will mean that the EEG can be measured more quickly and accurately. This purpose of this research is to perform this validation, and its success would mean both more efficient EEG recording for the country, as well as an enhanced scientific reputation.Read moreRead less
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
Lattice Panel Based Optical Apertures for Optical Wireless Networks . Future work and homes will demand superfast wireless connectivity supported by optical fibre networks providing high speeds into our buildings. The technology gap, however, is a system to deliver this level of connectivity to our wireless mobile devices. Addressing this need, this innovative project proposes a novel architecture of lattice panel apertures based on arrays of phased arrays that can establish and steer multiple ....Lattice Panel Based Optical Apertures for Optical Wireless Networks . Future work and homes will demand superfast wireless connectivity supported by optical fibre networks providing high speeds into our buildings. The technology gap, however, is a system to deliver this level of connectivity to our wireless mobile devices. Addressing this need, this innovative project proposes a novel architecture of lattice panel apertures based on arrays of phased arrays that can establish and steer multiple optical beams simultaneously. It will investigate these system architectures, demonstrating their feasibility. By transforming broadband wireless into the future of optical mobile networking, the project outcomes will extend to every connected office and home, benefiting Australia’s economy and national security. Read moreRead less
Dynamic phased array antennas for terahertz detection and ranging. The project aims to create reciprocal electrically-tuneable phased array antennas for terahertz waves. The antennas will comprise varactor diodes, analogue phase shifters, and dielectric resonator arrays to rapidly transmit and receive beams with high directivity and performance. The intended outcome is an integrated platform for short-range terahertz detection and ranging. This platform could be used in personal radar and drone- ....Dynamic phased array antennas for terahertz detection and ranging. The project aims to create reciprocal electrically-tuneable phased array antennas for terahertz waves. The antennas will comprise varactor diodes, analogue phase shifters, and dielectric resonator arrays to rapidly transmit and receive beams with high directivity and performance. The intended outcome is an integrated platform for short-range terahertz detection and ranging. This platform could be used in personal radar and drone-based radar, and high-contrast standoff detection. The project could benefit public security and welfare.Read moreRead less
Overcoming nonlinearity in short-reach optical communication. This project aims to investigate the equalization methods for nonlinear optical channels applicable to short-reach optical communications. This project expects to significantly improve the transmission capacity of the cost-effective directly detected transceivers. Expected outcomes of this project include advanced equalization techniques for nonlinear channels and associated signal processing algorithms. These advances will have the p ....Overcoming nonlinearity in short-reach optical communication. This project aims to investigate the equalization methods for nonlinear optical channels applicable to short-reach optical communications. This project expects to significantly improve the transmission capacity of the cost-effective directly detected transceivers. Expected outcomes of this project include advanced equalization techniques for nonlinear channels and associated signal processing algorithms. These advances will have the potential to provide an enabling technology for surging capacity demand from cloud computing and enhance Australia's standing as a leader in optical communications technology.
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Thermal isolation: a novel pathway to transforming complex waste. This project aims to establish a novel pathway for transforming complex waste otherwise destined for landfill into valuable products and resources. By leveraging high temperature reactions, the team plans to thermally isolate useful carbons and silica from within automotive shredder residue (ASR) in situ, to produce activated carbon products and silica layers, and so completely recycle this bulk toxic waste for the first time. Suc ....Thermal isolation: a novel pathway to transforming complex waste. This project aims to establish a novel pathway for transforming complex waste otherwise destined for landfill into valuable products and resources. By leveraging high temperature reactions, the team plans to thermally isolate useful carbons and silica from within automotive shredder residue (ASR) in situ, to produce activated carbon products and silica layers, and so completely recycle this bulk toxic waste for the first time. Such innovative new pathways for separating out valuable materials from complex and toxic wastes offer industries an alternative low-cost and sustainable source of raw materials, while reducing pressures on landfills and finite natural resources.Read moreRead less
Overcoming performance limiting chemistries in membrane distillation. This project aims to study performance limiting chemistries associated with fouling of solution-borne components on membrane surfaces that cause critical vapour pressure loss. Membrane distillation could be used for sustainable resource recovery, but no research has overcome the total loss of membrane water flux when removing water from saturated solutions where the critical resource recovery function occurs. This project will ....Overcoming performance limiting chemistries in membrane distillation. This project aims to study performance limiting chemistries associated with fouling of solution-borne components on membrane surfaces that cause critical vapour pressure loss. Membrane distillation could be used for sustainable resource recovery, but no research has overcome the total loss of membrane water flux when removing water from saturated solutions where the critical resource recovery function occurs. This project will characterise the physical and chemical properties of the flux limiting solid on the membrane surface, and the role of membrane chemistry and functional conditions in overcoming this limit. The outcomes of the work will provide innovative sustainable solutions to recover valuable products from current wastes.Read moreRead less
Easing the Squeeze: Dynamic and Distributed Resource Allocation with Cognitive Radio. The radio spectrum is a scarce and valuable natural resource which is being squeezed by the rapid growth in wireless communications. Cognitive radios make efficient use of radio spectrum by dynamically reusing frequencies. This requires cognitive radios to sense the local environment and to control the interference caused to existing users of the spectrum. This project will design novel dynamic and distributed ....Easing the Squeeze: Dynamic and Distributed Resource Allocation with Cognitive Radio. The radio spectrum is a scarce and valuable natural resource which is being squeezed by the rapid growth in wireless communications. Cognitive radios make efficient use of radio spectrum by dynamically reusing frequencies. This requires cognitive radios to sense the local environment and to control the interference caused to existing users of the spectrum. This project will design novel dynamic and distributed resource allocation algorithms for cognitive radios in order to significantly improve their performance using techniques from extreme value theory, game theory and mechanism design and large random matrix theory. Read moreRead less
Next-Generation Optical Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) for long-haul telecommunications: building on recent research and commercialisation success. The provision of Broadband Internet services to the home also requires extremely-fast 'backbone' connections between cities to carry the additional traffic demands.
In a previous project funded by the ARC, Monash researchers developed Optical-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology to increase the information- ....Next-Generation Optical Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) for long-haul telecommunications: building on recent research and commercialisation success. The provision of Broadband Internet services to the home also requires extremely-fast 'backbone' connections between cities to carry the additional traffic demands.
In a previous project funded by the ARC, Monash researchers developed Optical-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology to increase the information-carrying capacity of optical fibers simply by plugging in new circuit boards at exchanges. This is now being commercialised by a new Australian company, to considerable international acclaim. This project aims to provide the next generation of this technology, which will support even faster internet and will ensure the long-term future of Australian telecommunications manufacturing.
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