‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of anima ....‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of animal taxa, and show how animals with 4 or 5 spectral channels integrate or partition visual information to perceive colour. The Fellowship will provide new biological models for the development of next-generation multispectral cameras used in medical, military, security and remote sensing applications.Read moreRead less
The brain in real-time: predicting the present, reconstructing the past. This proposal aims to understand how the brain compensates for its own internal delays to function in real-time. Because it takes time for information from the senses to reach the brain, it takes time for us to become aware of an event that occurs in the outside world. This project will use an innovative combination of techniques to study how prediction and reconstruction mechanisms work together in the brain. Expected outc ....The brain in real-time: predicting the present, reconstructing the past. This proposal aims to understand how the brain compensates for its own internal delays to function in real-time. Because it takes time for information from the senses to reach the brain, it takes time for us to become aware of an event that occurs in the outside world. This project will use an innovative combination of techniques to study how prediction and reconstruction mechanisms work together in the brain. Expected outcomes of this project include a fundamental understanding of how we function in the present. This should provide significant benefits, such as an important theoretical advance in our understanding of how conscious awareness is realised in the brain, placing Australia at the cutting edge.Read moreRead less
Parallel and generative binding in human visual cortex. Imagine watching a group of children running around in brightly coloured T-shirts. How does your brain keep track of which colour goes with which T-shirt goes with which child? This project will use magnetic resonance imaging to identify where in our brains information about colour, shape and motion gets put together.
Real-time friction sensing, feedback and control for dexterous prosthetic and robotic manipulation. Prosthetic and robotic hands demonstrate poor dexterity during object manipulation, often dropping objects. Humans rarely allow objects to slip because we can sense when an object is slippery and adjust our grip. Exceptionally little research has been directed at replicating this ability to sense friction. This project aims to enable artificial hands to estimate frictional properties while graspin ....Real-time friction sensing, feedback and control for dexterous prosthetic and robotic manipulation. Prosthetic and robotic hands demonstrate poor dexterity during object manipulation, often dropping objects. Humans rarely allow objects to slip because we can sense when an object is slippery and adjust our grip. Exceptionally little research has been directed at replicating this ability to sense friction. This project aims to enable artificial hands to estimate frictional properties while grasping an object. Non-invasive methods to feed back this frictional information to an amputee will also be investigated. Finally, the friction-sensing system will be used to improve robotic gripper control. The outcomes of this research will significantly advance the fields of prosthetics, telesurgery, and service and manufacturing robotics.Read moreRead less
Resolving multi-sensory conflict as we age: audio-visual integration and the role of normal and abnormal sensory decline. Australia has an ageing population. Even the healthiest older individuals undergo some deterioration of vision and hearing, however, these senses are almost invariably studied in isolation. The real world is multisensory. This project will enhance our knowledge of how ageing impacts on the interpretation of visual and auditory information regarding the timing and location of ....Resolving multi-sensory conflict as we age: audio-visual integration and the role of normal and abnormal sensory decline. Australia has an ageing population. Even the healthiest older individuals undergo some deterioration of vision and hearing, however, these senses are almost invariably studied in isolation. The real world is multisensory. This project will enhance our knowledge of how ageing impacts on the interpretation of visual and auditory information regarding the timing and location of objects; essential precursors to many real world tasks, for example: driving, interpreting speech, and hazard avoidance. This knowledge is essential for the optimisation of audio-visual environments for the elderly, and for the development of tools to improve performance in the presence of sensory decline due to age-related eye disease.Read moreRead less
Vision and lighting in the age of melanopsin. This project aims to develop innovative new technologies, which will advance understanding of the effects of light on human behavior mediated via the recently discovered melanopsin photopigment in the eye. The project expects to create a cutting-edge visual display technology, which will deliver the foundation knowledge of melanopsin shapes visual perception. The project will redefine current knowledge of human vision and provide a practical lighting ....Vision and lighting in the age of melanopsin. This project aims to develop innovative new technologies, which will advance understanding of the effects of light on human behavior mediated via the recently discovered melanopsin photopigment in the eye. The project expects to create a cutting-edge visual display technology, which will deliver the foundation knowledge of melanopsin shapes visual perception. The project will redefine current knowledge of human vision and provide a practical lighting solution to suit the biological needs of humans, especially in relation to the human body’s internal (circadian) clock. Read moreRead less
Operation of nerve cell networks in the neocortex. In humans, intellectual disabilities occur when nerve cells in the neocortex, the most complicated area of the brain, fail to function correctly. The goal of this project is to understand how neocortical areas communicate and how changes in the structure of neurons disturb their function; work that will lead to a better understanding of the operation of the neocortex.
The neuronal bases of consciousness and attention. Why and how do some electrical activities in the brain make us see, hear and feel pain? Why other neural activities remain non-conscious? This project will utilise visual illusions combined with a range of state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques to understand what kind of neuronal mechanisms underlie attention and consciousness.
Target detection: neural networks, behaviour and biomimetic applications. This project aims to understand the neural and behavioural mechanisms that allow insects to efficiently detect moving targets in visual clutter, despite being equipped with small brains and low-resolution eyes. The project is expected to generate fundamental knowledge using a unique combination of quantitative behaviour, neurophysiology, pharmacological intervention and biomimetic modelling. Expected outcomes include an in ....Target detection: neural networks, behaviour and biomimetic applications. This project aims to understand the neural and behavioural mechanisms that allow insects to efficiently detect moving targets in visual clutter, despite being equipped with small brains and low-resolution eyes. The project is expected to generate fundamental knowledge using a unique combination of quantitative behaviour, neurophysiology, pharmacological intervention and biomimetic modelling. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of neural mechanisms underlying sensory selectivity, the development of novel techniques, and enhanced capacity for interdisciplinary collaborations. The project will provide significant knowledge as the developed biomimetic algorithms should be applicable for increased performance in drones or other unmanned vehicles.Read moreRead less
Dynamic ocular imaging: New tools to study neurodegenerative disease. Neurovascular uncoupling occurs when blood supply and energy production is no longer responsive to the metabolic of nervous tissue. Neurovascular uncoupling is thought to be a key mechanism in the development of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma. This project will be the first study to develop, validate and employ a comprehensive suite to simultaneously image blood flow, oxygen sa ....Dynamic ocular imaging: New tools to study neurodegenerative disease. Neurovascular uncoupling occurs when blood supply and energy production is no longer responsive to the metabolic of nervous tissue. Neurovascular uncoupling is thought to be a key mechanism in the development of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma. This project will be the first study to develop, validate and employ a comprehensive suite to simultaneously image blood flow, oxygen saturation, metabolic activity and retinal function to understand neurovascular uncoupling in aging and age-related neurodegeneration. Read moreRead less