Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Ele ....Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology. Industry will benefit from the expertise on micro/nano-structures and micro/nano-manufacturing achieved by this project.Read moreRead less
Development of modal control systems for adaptive optics. This project will develop a simple, robust and low-cost modal servo system for dynamic control and correction of the propagation and focussing properties of light beams. This new system will incorporate a novel optical sensor, which will be developed in this project, and a new optical corrector being developed at the University of Durham. Currently available astronomical adaptive-optics systems have produced excellent results but are expe ....Development of modal control systems for adaptive optics. This project will develop a simple, robust and low-cost modal servo system for dynamic control and correction of the propagation and focussing properties of light beams. This new system will incorporate a novel optical sensor, which will be developed in this project, and a new optical corrector being developed at the University of Durham. Currently available astronomical adaptive-optics systems have produced excellent results but are expensive and complicated. A low-cost alternative will dramatically increase the use of adaptive optics in industrial, environmental and medical applications. The compensation of distortions in low-cost optical atmospheric sensors will be demonstrated.Read moreRead less
MICROWAVE SENSORS BASED ON MULTI-LAYER MICROSTRIP PATCH RESONATORS AND LINE RESONATORS. Inexpensive, easy-to-use, accurate, sensitive and compact sensor systems are needed to improve the quality of many agricultural and industrial products. For example, edible oil industry needs such a system to determine the water content in the seeds used for edible oil. Similarly, the measurement of moisture content is crucial for quality control and grading of industrial oils, paints, health products and man ....MICROWAVE SENSORS BASED ON MULTI-LAYER MICROSTRIP PATCH RESONATORS AND LINE RESONATORS. Inexpensive, easy-to-use, accurate, sensitive and compact sensor systems are needed to improve the quality of many agricultural and industrial products. For example, edible oil industry needs such a system to determine the water content in the seeds used for edible oil. Similarly, the measurement of moisture content is crucial for quality control and grading of industrial oils, paints, health products and many industrial sheets. We develop novel microwave sensor systems, based on multi-layer microstrip resonators, for such measurements of materials in the form of sheets, pastes, liquids or powders. They are also attractive for scientific applications such as monitoring the doping concentration of semiconductor materials.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560735
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$139,194.00
Summary
A Signal Simulation Facility for GNSS Receiver Design and Testing. The proposed Facility comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) RF Signal Simulator which allows laboratory testing of new signal tracking and navigation solution algorithms, under different scenarios. Simulation of the operation of current and future GPS satellites, and of the new European GNSS "Galileo", is vital for testing new receiver designs. For example, the Facility could be programmed to generate a GPS satell ....A Signal Simulation Facility for GNSS Receiver Design and Testing. The proposed Facility comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) RF Signal Simulator which allows laboratory testing of new signal tracking and navigation solution algorithms, under different scenarios. Simulation of the operation of current and future GPS satellites, and of the new European GNSS "Galileo", is vital for testing new receiver designs. For example, the Facility could be programmed to generate a GPS satellite signal with user-selectable physical variations in the signal path, including the presence of RF jamming sources, high atmospheric disturbances, diffraction effects and multipath. As many of the signal variations are rare and/or unpredictable, the Signal Simulator is the only means to carry out such tests.Read moreRead less
A combined inertial, satellite & terrestrial signal navigation device for high accuracy positioning & orientation of underground imaging systems. The 'holy grail' of the mapping community is ubiquitous, cm-level accuracy positioning/orientation in all outdoor environments with a minimum installed infrastructure and operational complexity. There is currently no system able to address such needs. The integration of an Australian-developed technology within the standard GPS/inertial navigation conf ....A combined inertial, satellite & terrestrial signal navigation device for high accuracy positioning & orientation of underground imaging systems. The 'holy grail' of the mapping community is ubiquitous, cm-level accuracy positioning/orientation in all outdoor environments with a minimum installed infrastructure and operational complexity. There is currently no system able to address such needs. The integration of an Australian-developed technology within the standard GPS/inertial navigation configuration would be a truly ground-breaking achievement. This would represent a significant enhancement of Australia's capacity to develop high-value navigation products and services, and the proposed project outcomes align closely with National Research Priority 3, and address the 'Frontier Technologies and Smart Information Use' priority goals.Read moreRead less
Fibre Bragg grating microstructures: a novel sensing tool? This project seeks to produce novel optical fibre sensors based on in-fibre Bragg gratings that will find applications in the measurement of transverse strain. The development of improved measurement techniques provides for better monitoring of industrial processes that will provide greater efficiency and safety, and thereby significant annual cost savings and improved safety.
DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to und ....DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to understand and quantify factors influencing droplet deformation. Coupling non-Newtonian characteristics with microfluidic geometries will allow the continuous manufacture of micro-particles of specified size and shape for existing and new applications, and will provide guidance for further extending the process to nano-particle manufacture.Read moreRead less
Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in com ....Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in common problem areas, such as the tips of elliptic notches and disbonding at the ends of composite joints. Additionally, grating refractive index profiles will be characterised using imaging techniques, to assess performance and possible changes to gratings after prolonged use.Read moreRead less
Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface cha ....Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface charge, and the numerical predictions. This understanding will complement development in related projects on non-Newtonian drop and particle formation in microfluidic flows which envisage continuous particle manufacture for novel materials possessing programmable, enhanced functional properties.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Bridge Monitoring System Based on the GPS and Pseudolite Technologies. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology can be used for precise deflection measurement of manmade structures such as buildings, bridges, etc. When integrated with additional signals from pseudolites (PL) that transmit GPS-like signals, changes in the height(s) of the monitored point(s) can be measured to millimetre accuracy. In collaboration with University of Nottingham researchers, a bridge structure in the ....An Integrated Bridge Monitoring System Based on the GPS and Pseudolite Technologies. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology can be used for precise deflection measurement of manmade structures such as buildings, bridges, etc. When integrated with additional signals from pseudolites (PL) that transmit GPS-like signals, changes in the height(s) of the monitored point(s) can be measured to millimetre accuracy. In collaboration with University of Nottingham researchers, a bridge structure in the U.K. will be used as a testbed, and will be the first time that PLs have been used for such an application. The expected outcomes include a suite of deformation monitoring algorithms capable of online analysis of the combined GPS-PL outputs.Read moreRead less