Driving in the Fog: Speed Illusions Caused by Variations of Object Contrast. Accurate judgement of the speed of 3D motion is essential to many real world tasks, from driving a vehicle to playing sports. Illusions of perceived speed can occur when the range of brightness levels (ie. the contrast) is reduced, such as in fog, when suffering from cataracts, or when using some sunglasses. This raises issues of safety for drivers (pilots/captains etc). It is expected that advances in the understanding ....Driving in the Fog: Speed Illusions Caused by Variations of Object Contrast. Accurate judgement of the speed of 3D motion is essential to many real world tasks, from driving a vehicle to playing sports. Illusions of perceived speed can occur when the range of brightness levels (ie. the contrast) is reduced, such as in fog, when suffering from cataracts, or when using some sunglasses. This raises issues of safety for drivers (pilots/captains etc). It is expected that advances in the understanding of these effects will inform road safety policy and practice to benefit drivers and pedestrians and to guide the manufacturing of eyewear and display devices (eg. military heads-up-displays). It is also anticipated that this project will be able to answer the much-debated question 'What colour should cricket balls be?'
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Dynamic Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring for Multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems. In the next five years, four Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) will be developed to foster the wide applications of satellite navigation in our daily life. These new developments can certainly offer a variety of economic, scientific and social opportunities for Australia. This research project will develop a theoretically sound integrity monitoring procedure for the new generat ....Dynamic Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring for Multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems. In the next five years, four Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) will be developed to foster the wide applications of satellite navigation in our daily life. These new developments can certainly offer a variety of economic, scientific and social opportunities for Australia. This research project will develop a theoretically sound integrity monitoring procedure for the new generation GNSS receivers to check their own navigation performance. The contribution from this research, which is patentable, will bring a timely opportunity for local industry to develop new products towards a massive worldwide market and serve Australian users as well.Read moreRead less
Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupati ....Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupational health and safety role on the job in the afternoon day shift and the early morning during night shift work.. Furthermore, it will improve general quality and productivity of life in a culture of increasing fatigue.Read moreRead less
A Novel System for Surveillance of Moving Objects. Surveillance of moving objects is critical in numerous applications such as detection and recognition of motor vehicles. It is important for detection to be fast and accurate with low cost. In this project, we aim to implement a surveillance system consisting of an efficient algorithm on a PC network with a camera. Our detection algorithm will be achieved with an advanced and computationally powerful image representation for fast computation. It ....A Novel System for Surveillance of Moving Objects. Surveillance of moving objects is critical in numerous applications such as detection and recognition of motor vehicles. It is important for detection to be fast and accurate with low cost. In this project, we aim to implement a surveillance system consisting of an efficient algorithm on a PC network with a camera. Our detection algorithm will be achieved with an advanced and computationally powerful image representation for fast computation. Its accuracy will be enhanced by adapting a well recognized theory for fast removal of image noise. Our implementation on the PC network will provide a flexible and extensible platform for parallel computing to further reduce detection time while keeping costs low.Read moreRead less
Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devi ....Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devices. This will lead to significant reductions in injury to people and damage to structures caused by impact; and thus substantial savings for the nation from the enormous costs associated with the fatalities, injuries and structural damages. Read moreRead less
Rod-cone interaction under mesopic illumination. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency and traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian traffic fatalities occur under dim light. The research program uses a frontier technology to determine how vision is degraded under dim lighting and provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and perform ....Rod-cone interaction under mesopic illumination. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency and traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian traffic fatalities occur under dim light. The research program uses a frontier technology to determine how vision is degraded under dim lighting and provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and performance. This work will help to evaluate new energy-efficient lighting systems and optimise traffic lighting for early recognition of obstacles and dangerous situations. Read moreRead less
Autonomous Functions for Smart Cars. The aim of this project is to develop autonomous functions for smart cars, such as lane departure warning, driver fatigue warning, and automatic lane following. Every year 70,000 people are killed in road accidents, 95% of which can be attributed to driver error. The potential outcomes of this project therefore significant. Many of the theoretical methods required for this project have been developed by our group. However, further theoretical refinements fo ....Autonomous Functions for Smart Cars. The aim of this project is to develop autonomous functions for smart cars, such as lane departure warning, driver fatigue warning, and automatic lane following. Every year 70,000 people are killed in road accidents, 95% of which can be attributed to driver error. The potential outcomes of this project therefore significant. Many of the theoretical methods required for this project have been developed by our group. However, further theoretical refinements followed by experimental verification is necessary. For smart cars to be accepted, the systems must be demonstrated to be reliable and to operate in a wide range of conditions.Read moreRead less
Integrating Accident and Travel Delay Externalities in an Urban Speed Reduction Context. The recognition that accident externalities are not independent of travel delays, and hence travel time savings and losses will promote a serious policy rethink about strategies designed to reduce the risk of exposure to accidents. The evidence is designed to identify that additional externality that has to be factored into the accident costs to recognise the other sources of externality typically ignored in ....Integrating Accident and Travel Delay Externalities in an Urban Speed Reduction Context. The recognition that accident externalities are not independent of travel delays, and hence travel time savings and losses will promote a serious policy rethink about strategies designed to reduce the risk of exposure to accidents. The evidence is designed to identify that additional externality that has to be factored into the accident costs to recognise the other sources of externality typically ignored in accident costing and speed restriction studies. The implication on the development of a national program of road safety is likely to be profound. Read moreRead less
Visual tracking of multiple objects: A stochastic geometrical approach. Reliable real-time visual multiple-object tracking techniques will open up new applications that enhance the quality of life such as driving safety, traffic monitoring, home security, security and surveillance of public facilities. These new applications have huge commercial potentials, and the technology developed from this project will provide the catalyst for vibrant new industries to grow. In addition, the expertise deve ....Visual tracking of multiple objects: A stochastic geometrical approach. Reliable real-time visual multiple-object tracking techniques will open up new applications that enhance the quality of life such as driving safety, traffic monitoring, home security, security and surveillance of public facilities. These new applications have huge commercial potentials, and the technology developed from this project will provide the catalyst for vibrant new industries to grow. In addition, the expertise developed from the project will provide a competitive edge for Australian industries in aerospace, oceanography, robotics, remote sensing, and biomedical engineering. Read moreRead less
Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In additio ....Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In addition, much needed Occupational Health & Safety information regarding vehicle rollover crashworthiness, which provide a safe work place environment for professional drivers and employees using vehicles, will be supplied to industry fleet managers, defence and emergency services.Read moreRead less