Wideband Silicon-Based Radio-Frequency Front-End Module for 5G New Radio . The project aims to advance knowledge in radio-frequency integrated circuit design in low-cost silicon technologies, particularly power amplifiers design with enhanced energy efficiency at output power back-off levels. The intended outcome of this project will be a wideband RF front-end module with beam steering capability that can cover the 24-50 GHz spectrum band. This will ultimately enable the creation of a low-cost a ....Wideband Silicon-Based Radio-Frequency Front-End Module for 5G New Radio . The project aims to advance knowledge in radio-frequency integrated circuit design in low-cost silicon technologies, particularly power amplifiers design with enhanced energy efficiency at output power back-off levels. The intended outcome of this project will be a wideband RF front-end module with beam steering capability that can cover the 24-50 GHz spectrum band. This will ultimately enable the creation of a low-cost and energy-efficient 5G millimetre-wave network that could potentially trigger the development of ultra-reliable low latency communications, which is critical for emerging intelligent transportation systems and will maintain Australia’s leadership position in the development of break-through wireless technology.Read moreRead less
Low-Cost Wireless Transmitter with Compact Package for Industrial Sensing . This project aims to provide a solid foundation for silicon-based transmitter design with beam-steering capability operating beyond 100 GHz. The project expects to advance knowledge in low-cost radio-frequency integrated circuit design with miniaturised packaging technology for use in industrial sensing. Expected outcomes of this project include a prototype consisting of a miniaturised 140-GHz phased-array transmitter wi ....Low-Cost Wireless Transmitter with Compact Package for Industrial Sensing . This project aims to provide a solid foundation for silicon-based transmitter design with beam-steering capability operating beyond 100 GHz. The project expects to advance knowledge in low-cost radio-frequency integrated circuit design with miniaturised packaging technology for use in industrial sensing. Expected outcomes of this project include a prototype consisting of a miniaturised 140-GHz phased-array transmitter with packaged antenna arrays, along with a developed selection guideline to choose the "best" silicon-based technology node for cost-effective design. This should provide benefits for organisations working on wireless sensing technologies and lead to new ways of using these technologies for a variety of emerging applications.Read moreRead less
Advanced metallisation for III-V Photovoltaic Solar Power Systems. This project aims to augment the overall electrical efficiency of concentrator photovoltaic solar systems that provide large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity. Existing concentrator solar cells are highly efficient (>40%) but their performance is hampered by thick front-metal contacts that shade the cell. The project is expected to develop a new concentrator solar cell metalisation and insulation technology. The benefi ....Advanced metallisation for III-V Photovoltaic Solar Power Systems. This project aims to augment the overall electrical efficiency of concentrator photovoltaic solar systems that provide large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity. Existing concentrator solar cells are highly efficient (>40%) but their performance is hampered by thick front-metal contacts that shade the cell. The project is expected to develop a new concentrator solar cell metalisation and insulation technology. The benefit of the project will be a direct increase in the system efficiency and simplified manufacturing of the concentrator solar receiver, which in turn reduces the cost of the concentrator power plant constructed by our Australian project partner RayGen Resources Pty Ltd.Read moreRead less
Transforming Microgrid to Virtual Power Plant –ICT Frameworks,Tools,Control. The project aims to enhance large scale renewable penetrations to national power grid by advancing control, optimization, and ancillary services of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), considering different disruptive events including recent South Australian blackout. This project expects to create new control, frame communication architecture, develop plug and play type IoT enabled grid interfacing inverter, and optimize resou ....Transforming Microgrid to Virtual Power Plant –ICT Frameworks,Tools,Control. The project aims to enhance large scale renewable penetrations to national power grid by advancing control, optimization, and ancillary services of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), considering different disruptive events including recent South Australian blackout. This project expects to create new control, frame communication architecture, develop plug and play type IoT enabled grid interfacing inverter, and optimize resource management for distributed VPPs. The anticipated benefits from this institutional level collaborations are that VPPs help in enhancing national power grid operations during normal and disruptive conditions when more renewables are connected and also secure benefits of consumers, prosumers, and grid operators.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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Photonic chip inertial movement sensors. This project aims to create a new class of optical inertial movement sensors using integrated photonic chip technology. By replacing optical fibre coils with compact waveguides, integrating light sources on-chip and by harnessing smart sensing approaches, we intend to reduce the required power from watts to milliwatts and reduce the dimensions from meters to centimetres. The expected project outcomes are sensors with military grade precision but with the ....Photonic chip inertial movement sensors. This project aims to create a new class of optical inertial movement sensors using integrated photonic chip technology. By replacing optical fibre coils with compact waveguides, integrating light sources on-chip and by harnessing smart sensing approaches, we intend to reduce the required power from watts to milliwatts and reduce the dimensions from meters to centimetres. The expected project outcomes are sensors with military grade precision but with the size, cost and manufacturability of consumer electronics. This technology will fill a strategic gap in the movement sensor market enabling applications ranging from robotic infrastructure monitoring, manufacture and surgery to guiding satellites and other space craft.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
Indoor Photovoltaics Enabled by Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Quantum Dots. This project aims to develop a high-efficiency indoor photovoltaic (PV) technology to provide reliable low-cost power in the multi-billion dollar “Internet of Things” (IoT) market. There are currently no devices that meet the requirements for maximum operating efficiency under indoor illumination. We propose to solve this problem by fabricating PV cells using colloidal perovskite quantum dots that offer class-leading stability ....Indoor Photovoltaics Enabled by Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Quantum Dots. This project aims to develop a high-efficiency indoor photovoltaic (PV) technology to provide reliable low-cost power in the multi-billion dollar “Internet of Things” (IoT) market. There are currently no devices that meet the requirements for maximum operating efficiency under indoor illumination. We propose to solve this problem by fabricating PV cells using colloidal perovskite quantum dots that offer class-leading stability and band gap tunability across the required range, enabled by quantum confinement. The outcome is the development of integrated self-powered IoT devices potentially impacting Advanced Manufacturing growth in Energy, Cyber Security, Food and Agribusiness, as all of these will ultimately rely on networked smart devices.Read moreRead less
Detecting developing cracks before pipe bursts using smart sensor systems. This project aims to significantly reduce the number of pipe bursts in cities by detecting the leaks from developing cracks on water supply pipes just in time. New techniques will be developed for reliable and timely detection using the existing sensor network in the Adelaide CBD. Specialised monitoring stations will be developed with adaptive noise-cancellation algorithms to detect small leak signals in noisy city enviro ....Detecting developing cracks before pipe bursts using smart sensor systems. This project aims to significantly reduce the number of pipe bursts in cities by detecting the leaks from developing cracks on water supply pipes just in time. New techniques will be developed for reliable and timely detection using the existing sensor network in the Adelaide CBD. Specialised monitoring stations will be developed with adaptive noise-cancellation algorithms to detect small leak signals in noisy city environments. Expected outcomes include an effective pipe burst early warning system and the implementation of an active burst prevention and targeted pipe replacement strategy. This should significantly reduce the burst rates and associated interruptions in Adelaide and save millions of dollars every year in pipe relay programs.Read moreRead less
Task-centric Synthesis for Wearable Assistive Robots. Wearable Assistive Robots, designed to be worn on the human body, show tremendous potentials to provide what the wearer lacks in performing physically challenging tasks, such as seen in manufacturing, agricultural and healthcare industries. However, fundamental challenges still prevent the realisation of such benefits in the practical settings outside the laboratory. This project addresses these challenges by establishing (1) a systematic des ....Task-centric Synthesis for Wearable Assistive Robots. Wearable Assistive Robots, designed to be worn on the human body, show tremendous potentials to provide what the wearer lacks in performing physically challenging tasks, such as seen in manufacturing, agricultural and healthcare industries. However, fundamental challenges still prevent the realisation of such benefits in the practical settings outside the laboratory. This project addresses these challenges by establishing (1) a systematic design approach for wearable robots to achieve the intended task while optimising other relevant considerations, such as human factors and the practical bulk of the robot; and (2) a novel control and interaction strategy to accommodate the variations in realistic living and working environments.Read moreRead less