Improving the operation of large-scale irrigation networks through automation. Channel networks for irrigation are critical infrastructure. Efficient operation is important in terms of sustainability and food security. This project aims to deliver automatic control techniques for improving system-wide performance. The research outcomes will secure Australia's place at the forefront of irrigation network automation technology.
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Automatic control systems for low-energy pipelines in irrigation networks. Automatic control systems for low-energy pipelines in irrigation networks. This project aims to design automated pipelines to distribute irrigation water from backbone open-channels to end-users. Automation can make irrigation networks more efficient, which is important for food security and the environment. Automation is expected to achieve low-energy distribution, in line with the gravity-powered operation of typical op ....Automatic control systems for low-energy pipelines in irrigation networks. Automatic control systems for low-energy pipelines in irrigation networks. This project aims to design automated pipelines to distribute irrigation water from backbone open-channels to end-users. Automation can make irrigation networks more efficient, which is important for food security and the environment. Automation is expected to achieve low-energy distribution, in line with the gravity-powered operation of typical open-channel networks. The main challenges are the development of suitable models for designing outlet-flow control systems, optimization-based outlet-flow scheduling methods for ensuring operation within hydraulic constraints, and system monitoring techniques. This project will design automatic control systems to enable low-energy water distribution from open-channels to end-users by pipes.Read moreRead less
Developing a wildlife health intelligence and vaccine distribution system. This project aims to establish an industry-linked pipeline for vaccines to be delivered to animals in edible baits and a near real-time monitoring system for assessing the impact of management actions. This project will develop ultrasensitive diagnostic tests and incorporate biomarkers into baits from Australia's leading pest animal control company. Bait uptake and disease status in the field will be monitored using artif ....Developing a wildlife health intelligence and vaccine distribution system. This project aims to establish an industry-linked pipeline for vaccines to be delivered to animals in edible baits and a near real-time monitoring system for assessing the impact of management actions. This project will develop ultrasensitive diagnostic tests and incorporate biomarkers into baits from Australia's leading pest animal control company. Bait uptake and disease status in the field will be monitored using artificial intelligence technology developed in Tasmania. This integrated wildlife health intelligence and scalable vaccine platform can help protect the iconic Tasmanian devil from disease and increase Australia's preparedness for looming threats to the livestock industry such as African swine fever.Read moreRead less
Control systems for irrigation networks in storage critical operations. The aim of the project is to further develop automatic control technologies for irrigation channels, with particular focus on supply mode operations for channels with critical limits on storage and inflow. The significance relates to the role of irrigation channels in food and fibre production. New knowledge generated will help Rubicon Water expand its Total Channel Control product, already used extensively in Australia, to ....Control systems for irrigation networks in storage critical operations. The aim of the project is to further develop automatic control technologies for irrigation channels, with particular focus on supply mode operations for channels with critical limits on storage and inflow. The significance relates to the role of irrigation channels in food and fibre production. New knowledge generated will help Rubicon Water expand its Total Channel Control product, already used extensively in Australia, to suit emerging markets with significant export potential. Beyond the commercial impact, expected benefits include improved service, reduced environmental footprint, the safeguarding of assets in extreme events, and the training of engineers in the important areas of modelling and control for infrastructure management.
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Comfort and ergonomics: Innovative seating solutions for commercial vehicles. Comfort and ergonomics: Innovative seating solutions for commercial vehicles. This project aims to develop a 6-degree-of-freedom seating system for commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks and mobile machinery, to reduce unwanted multiple directional vibrations to the driver’s body. Long-term exposure to vibrations from uneven road surfaces, vibrating tools, and vibrating machinery affects driver comfort, fatig ....Comfort and ergonomics: Innovative seating solutions for commercial vehicles. Comfort and ergonomics: Innovative seating solutions for commercial vehicles. This project aims to develop a 6-degree-of-freedom seating system for commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks and mobile machinery, to reduce unwanted multiple directional vibrations to the driver’s body. Long-term exposure to vibrations from uneven road surfaces, vibrating tools, and vibrating machinery affects driver comfort, fatigue and safety, and can also cause neck and shoulder pain, lower back injuries, and spinal injuries. The expected outcome of the project is a comfortable and ergonomic seating system that, agriculture, transportation, mining and construction vehicles, both in Australia and internationally, can widely use.Read moreRead less
Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantif ....Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantify the interactive impact of temperature and nutrition on immune function, disease resistance and host-plant quality of plague locusts; and to explore the combined effects of temperature, habitat and Green Guard, in combination with candidate microbes or pathogens, on the behaviour and collective movement of locusts. It is anticipated that this will have implications for management and control strategies.Read moreRead less
New tools to decipher, predict and manage pacific oyster mortality episodes. This project aims to unite cutting-edge genomic and molecular biological tools with novel quantitative modelling analyses to identify the mechanisms behind oyster disease events. Oyster farming contributes almost $100 million to the Australian economy each year and is a cornerstone of coastal communities, but has been decimated by diseases that threaten this important primary industry. While some causative pathogens hav ....New tools to decipher, predict and manage pacific oyster mortality episodes. This project aims to unite cutting-edge genomic and molecular biological tools with novel quantitative modelling analyses to identify the mechanisms behind oyster disease events. Oyster farming contributes almost $100 million to the Australian economy each year and is a cornerstone of coastal communities, but has been decimated by diseases that threaten this important primary industry. While some causative pathogens have been identified, the environmental catalysts of oyster disease remain a mystery. The expected outcome of this project is an innovative coupling of tools that provides new capacity to forecast disease events, delivering the Australian oyster industry a powerful platform to predict, manage and prevent costly disease outbreaks. By identifying environmental thresholds and oyster disease danger periods, an expected outcome of this project is the development of new oyster farming strategies aimed at avoiding multi-million dollar losses associated with disease outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Co-design and dynamic mission optimisation of hypersonic flight vehicles. This project aims to deliver fundamental knowledge by integrating the modelling and control with the design of next generation hypersonic platforms. In an era where Australia's national security reliance on geographic isolation and support from allied forces are being challenged, the research outcomes of this project will play an important role in understanding the capabilities of hypersonic systems. The project will also ....Co-design and dynamic mission optimisation of hypersonic flight vehicles. This project aims to deliver fundamental knowledge by integrating the modelling and control with the design of next generation hypersonic platforms. In an era where Australia's national security reliance on geographic isolation and support from allied forces are being challenged, the research outcomes of this project will play an important role in understanding the capabilities of hypersonic systems. The project will also have significant spillover benefits into other complex system domains, where computational tools can be used to aid in design leading to high embedded-IP products for Australian industry. Furthermore, the proposal encompasses a strong research training aspect, with graduates exposed to leading edge industry and academia.Read moreRead less
Subject-specific computational models for accurate evaluation of muscle function in human locomotion. The purpose of this project is to advance current understanding of muscle function during human locomotion. The most significant outcome will be the development of novel computational tools that can play a pivotal role in the healthcare industry through the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders.