Development of an advanced semiconductor characterisation capability for infrared focal plane array applications. Australian access to world leading technology in state-of-the-art infrared detectors is key to future advanced systems for defence surveillance and sensing, mineral exploration, biomedical instrumentation, precision agriculture, environmental monitoring and homeland security. This project will ensure that Australia contributes to an integral component required in the development of t ....Development of an advanced semiconductor characterisation capability for infrared focal plane array applications. Australian access to world leading technology in state-of-the-art infrared detectors is key to future advanced systems for defence surveillance and sensing, mineral exploration, biomedical instrumentation, precision agriculture, environmental monitoring and homeland security. This project will ensure that Australia contributes to an integral component required in the development of these technologies allowing early access to future systems. It will also enable Austarlia to play a leading role in setting the research directions for infrared materials that will place Australian research at the forefront in this area.Read moreRead less
CONTROL AND INTERFACING OF GRID-CONNECTED IGBT INVERTERS FOR SMALL-SCALE WIND GENERATORS. The project aims to investigate methods for extracting and converting intermittent energy from variable speed wind generators and supplying to electricity grids. Low cost power conditioning units for integrating small-scale wind generators will be designed, developed and commercialised. It is expected that this project will lead to a systematic design procedure for grid connected inverter technology using ....CONTROL AND INTERFACING OF GRID-CONNECTED IGBT INVERTERS FOR SMALL-SCALE WIND GENERATORS. The project aims to investigate methods for extracting and converting intermittent energy from variable speed wind generators and supplying to electricity grids. Low cost power conditioning units for integrating small-scale wind generators will be designed, developed and commercialised. It is expected that this project will lead to a systematic design procedure for grid connected inverter technology using a novel current control technique, and extraction of more energy from small scale wind turbines especially at low wind speeds. Successful commercialisation will result in significant reduction in cost resulting wider application of wind turbines, substantial economic benefit to the commercial partners as well as Australian communities in rural areas.Read moreRead less
A Novel Inline High-Efficiency Motor/Pump System. Around 19% of the world’s and 30% of the Australia’s electric energy is consumed by pump technologies. Significant energy savings are possible if the major components of pump systems, including inverter, motor and pump, operate at their maximum possible efficiency under varying loads. A novel pump design in this project accommodates integrated electronics in a submersible housing. A seal-less design helps mitigate several aspects of pump failure ....A Novel Inline High-Efficiency Motor/Pump System. Around 19% of the world’s and 30% of the Australia’s electric energy is consumed by pump technologies. Significant energy savings are possible if the major components of pump systems, including inverter, motor and pump, operate at their maximum possible efficiency under varying loads. A novel pump design in this project accommodates integrated electronics in a submersible housing. A seal-less design helps mitigate several aspects of pump failure and its in-line structure reduces assembly cost. Accurately measured efficiency maps will be utilised to demonstrate the non-linear relationship between motor and pump quantities as well as developing models for indirectly estimating feedback quantities and achieving the highest system efficiency.Read moreRead less
An Economical, Robust Alternative Braille Transcription Device. The Curtin University Brailler (CUB). Braille is an important language used by the blind to read and write and Braillers are needed for everyday communication. This justifies the development of a light weight, transportable unit that is accessible at all times. This project proposes a relatively inexpensive, light weight, reliable and easily maintained Braille transcription system. The significant aspects of the proposed brailler in ....An Economical, Robust Alternative Braille Transcription Device. The Curtin University Brailler (CUB). Braille is an important language used by the blind to read and write and Braillers are needed for everyday communication. This justifies the development of a light weight, transportable unit that is accessible at all times. This project proposes a relatively inexpensive, light weight, reliable and easily maintained Braille transcription system. The significant aspects of the proposed brailler include;
- An Electromagnetically compatable (EMC)12 Volt Power Supply allowing the common car battery as a backup power source.
- Use of modern plastics (PTFE) to reduce weight, maintenance and EMC standards.
- An embedded system for Forward and Back translation of literary Braille
- Protocol development and specification for USB keyboard and (standard) printer.Read moreRead less
Collaborative Commerce for SMEs in Regional Knowledge Networks. This research project will investigate the most effective and efficient models for regional SMEs to engage in collaborative online commerce. The study will evaluate different models of (cross) regional collaboration and the knowledge management support mechanisms needed to facilitate these. An online assessment system will be developed which can be used by SMEs, SME clusters and local government to identify best fit models for c-com ....Collaborative Commerce for SMEs in Regional Knowledge Networks. This research project will investigate the most effective and efficient models for regional SMEs to engage in collaborative online commerce. The study will evaluate different models of (cross) regional collaboration and the knowledge management support mechanisms needed to facilitate these. An online assessment system will be developed which can be used by SMEs, SME clusters and local government to identify best fit models for c-commerce. A methodology for benefits appraisal of c-commerce will be made available for continual monitoring of real value accrual. Policy guides will be developed for local government identifying best practice models for ICT infastructure development.Read moreRead less
Collision Avoidance in Shipping Lanes via Intelligent Sensor Data Fusion . This project aims to develop an online maritime traffic monitoring system for reliable collision/contact avoidance that exploits complementary data from high-resolution airborne sensors and surface vessel sensors. Our approach is based on optimal scheduling and fusion of the sensor data and possibly other sources of data to construct a comprehensive dynamic picture of maritime traffic, in real-time. Moreover, the proposed ....Collision Avoidance in Shipping Lanes via Intelligent Sensor Data Fusion . This project aims to develop an online maritime traffic monitoring system for reliable collision/contact avoidance that exploits complementary data from high-resolution airborne sensors and surface vessel sensors. Our approach is based on optimal scheduling and fusion of the sensor data and possibly other sources of data to construct a comprehensive dynamic picture of maritime traffic, in real-time. Moreover, the proposed methodology enables quantification of confidence in the predictions. This will provide ship owners, directly to their vessels and/or at the fleet management centres, information such as weather reports, reliable collision/no-collision warnings and avoidance strategies, on-the-fly. Read moreRead less
Developing A Smart Farming Oriented Secure Data Infrastructure. Smart farming is the future of agriculture. However, recently the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a
warning that the lack of data privacy and cyber security mechanisms in the field runs a high risk of disaster. This
project aims to establish an innovative secure data infrastructure for smart farming including secure and automated smart farming supply-chain management. The deliverables of this project will include the cutt ....Developing A Smart Farming Oriented Secure Data Infrastructure. Smart farming is the future of agriculture. However, recently the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a
warning that the lack of data privacy and cyber security mechanisms in the field runs a high risk of disaster. This
project aims to establish an innovative secure data infrastructure for smart farming including secure and automated smart farming supply-chain management. The deliverables of this project will include the cutting-edge Blockchain based secure IoT data management and privacy-preserving smart contracts for smart farming supply-chain management. This data infrastructure will be the first of its kind which will lay a solid foundation for smart farming technology.Read moreRead less
Investigation of novel magneto-optic materials exhibiting high Faraday figure of merit. Magneto-optical materials have a wide range of potential applications in consumer products, telecommunications and defence. Nanotechnologies based on these materials offer an even broader range of emerging applications. Understanding and participating in the development of magneto-optic technologies will therefore be critical to maintaining Australia's knowledge base and expertise in future technological adv ....Investigation of novel magneto-optic materials exhibiting high Faraday figure of merit. Magneto-optical materials have a wide range of potential applications in consumer products, telecommunications and defence. Nanotechnologies based on these materials offer an even broader range of emerging applications. Understanding and participating in the development of magneto-optic technologies will therefore be critical to maintaining Australia's knowledge base and expertise in future technological advances. Given the early stages of development of these technologies, Australia's expertise in material science and the patent rights held by Australian companies in this area, Australia has the opportunity to make major contributions to this field, and the potential to capitalise on the application of these technologies in niche markets.Read moreRead less
Bushfire safety improvements for rural electricity networks using hybrid fault detection incorporating distributed observations of travelling waves. Electrical faults in distribution networks can result in catastrophic bush fires. The existing fault detection methods are known to be incapable of detecting many faults. This project will develop improved protection methods that detect travelling waves produced by dangerous faults such as fallen lines and vegetation contacts.
Virtual Innovation Clusters: the Grid and Customer Relationship Management. Innovation Clusters are seen as geographically based and focussed on product development. Recent studies however indicate that technical innovation in geographic clusters is lower than geographically dispersed companies, and that their competitiveness arises from innovations in tailoring products and marketing. The emergence of the ?Grid? enhances the capabilities of ?Virtual? Clusters. Through installation of a Grid Por ....Virtual Innovation Clusters: the Grid and Customer Relationship Management. Innovation Clusters are seen as geographically based and focussed on product development. Recent studies however indicate that technical innovation in geographic clusters is lower than geographically dispersed companies, and that their competitiveness arises from innovations in tailoring products and marketing. The emergence of the ?Grid? enhances the capabilities of ?Virtual? Clusters. Through installation of a Grid Portal and Grid-enabling analysis tools, we export the capabilities of a geographical cluster around Europe's leading computational facility and contrast this with a Virtual Cluster in Australia, where we demonstrate an innovative application of High-Performance Computing to modelling consumer behaviour and managing customer relations.Read moreRead less