Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing ....Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing nonlinear control strategies. The expected outcomes will include new system and control theories, concepts, principles and technologies in controller design that can provide reliable flight control for bio-inspired, flapping-wing systems.Read moreRead less
Motor control of the upper airway muscle genioglossus. This project aims to evaluate a recent proposal about the motor control of the upper airway muscle Genioglossus. The upper airway muscles, the most complex in the human body, are critical for breathing and speaking, but are not well understood. Genioglossus draws the base of the tongue forward to maintain airway patency. This project will study genioglossus during wakefulness and sleep in normal healthy individuals. It is anticipated that th ....Motor control of the upper airway muscle genioglossus. This project aims to evaluate a recent proposal about the motor control of the upper airway muscle Genioglossus. The upper airway muscles, the most complex in the human body, are critical for breathing and speaking, but are not well understood. Genioglossus draws the base of the tongue forward to maintain airway patency. This project will study genioglossus during wakefulness and sleep in normal healthy individuals. It is anticipated that the project will suggest improved avenues for treatment of sleep related respiratory disorders.Read moreRead less
Human-Robot Co-Evolution: Achieving the full potential of future workplaces. Physical human-robot systems are widely used to amplify the capability of human labourers and improve ergonomics in the workplace. This project aims to develop robot controllers that shape the co-evolution of these systems. Through physical human-robot interaction studies it will generate new knowledge of how humans adapt to working with robots, which will then be incorporated into the robot controller design. Expected ....Human-Robot Co-Evolution: Achieving the full potential of future workplaces. Physical human-robot systems are widely used to amplify the capability of human labourers and improve ergonomics in the workplace. This project aims to develop robot controllers that shape the co-evolution of these systems. Through physical human-robot interaction studies it will generate new knowledge of how humans adapt to working with robots, which will then be incorporated into the robot controller design. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of human adaptation and a systematic approach to shaping human-robot interaction over time. This should provide significant benefits across different skill and labour-intensive industries in Australia, such as improved worker productivity and safer human-robot collaboration.Read moreRead less
The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely ....The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely to have wide-ranging implications across multiple domains of human endeavour, including education, work-place efficiency, policy development, and consumer behaviour.Read moreRead less
Accelerated Finite-time Learning and Control in Cyber-Physical Systems. Efficient learning and control in cyber-physical systems such as smart grids and robotic systems are very important for achieving economic and social benefits. This project aims to establish a breakthrough accelerated finite-time dynamics theory and technology to assist in delivering efficient learning and control. Expected outcomes include new distributed accelerated finite-time dynamics based learning and control algorithm ....Accelerated Finite-time Learning and Control in Cyber-Physical Systems. Efficient learning and control in cyber-physical systems such as smart grids and robotic systems are very important for achieving economic and social benefits. This project aims to establish a breakthrough accelerated finite-time dynamics theory and technology to assist in delivering efficient learning and control. Expected outcomes include new distributed accelerated finite-time dynamics based learning and control algorithms and tools for optimal operations in cyber-physical systems. This should provide significant benefits including a practical technology for industry applications in smart grids and robotic systems, and training of the next generation engineers in this technology for Australia.Read moreRead less
Human Scheduling of Perceptual Tasks. This project aims to develop a novel approach for synthesising how people prioritise information with theories of attention and decision making. Characterising inefficient scheduling in the tradeoff between the difficulty and the cost/benefit of different subtasks will allow the development of a formal computional model that generalises statistical models of rank order data to a theory of the timing of scheduling decisions and task completions. Outcomes incl ....Human Scheduling of Perceptual Tasks. This project aims to develop a novel approach for synthesising how people prioritise information with theories of attention and decision making. Characterising inefficient scheduling in the tradeoff between the difficulty and the cost/benefit of different subtasks will allow the development of a formal computional model that generalises statistical models of rank order data to a theory of the timing of scheduling decisions and task completions. Outcomes include benchmark data from a novel paradigm for studying perceptual decisions and behavior and a model which can explain and predict human scheduling. This project aims to benefit industry by allowing for the simulation of information prioritisation by human agents in complex environments.Read moreRead less
Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time ....Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions.Read moreRead less
Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT): structured networked control systems. Networked control systems are an emerging technology that combines control, communication and computation to deliver solutions for a range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, defence and other Industrial Interent of Things (IIoT) applications. The current analysis and design approaches often take a ``monolithic" view of the system, which render them inadequate for addressing many importa ....Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT): structured networked control systems. Networked control systems are an emerging technology that combines control, communication and computation to deliver solutions for a range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, defence and other Industrial Interent of Things (IIoT) applications. The current analysis and design approaches often take a ``monolithic" view of the system, which render them inadequate for addressing many important IIoT applications. This proposal will exploit specific features and structure of the plant, the communication network and the distributed computation to provide an analysis and design methodology which will deliver significant advances in control and optimised performance of IIoT with benefits to the economy and society.Read moreRead less
Sensing and Communications for Tactical Radio: Mapping the RF Weather. This project investigates sensing, localisation and communication strategies to improve the performance of modern tactical radio networks. Such networks face all of the well-known design challenges of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) but with added complication of a contested and adversarial operating environment. By exploiting the power of radio nodes to sense the radio spectrum, as well as to communicate over it, a distribut ....Sensing and Communications for Tactical Radio: Mapping the RF Weather. This project investigates sensing, localisation and communication strategies to improve the performance of modern tactical radio networks. Such networks face all of the well-known design challenges of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) but with added complication of a contested and adversarial operating environment. By exploiting the power of radio nodes to sense the radio spectrum, as well as to communicate over it, a distributed network of nodes can create a detailed picture of the surrounding radio-frequency (RF) environment: the nodes can work together to map the “RF weather”. In this project we will design advanced sensing and localisation methods to accurately map the RF spectrum, and then exploit this map in communication system design.Read moreRead less
Testing an Integrative Model of Interpersonal Partner Aggression. The project aims to conduct: 1) a developmental test (i.e., from childhood to adulthood), and 2) a dyadic longitudinal test of an integrative model of intimate partner violence (IPV). The project is significant as it addresses 4 key IPV research limitations. These are the lack of: 1) focus on relationship dynamics; 2) longitudinal research on couples; 3) developmental tests of IPV; 4) research on same-sex couples. Expected outcome ....Testing an Integrative Model of Interpersonal Partner Aggression. The project aims to conduct: 1) a developmental test (i.e., from childhood to adulthood), and 2) a dyadic longitudinal test of an integrative model of intimate partner violence (IPV). The project is significant as it addresses 4 key IPV research limitations. These are the lack of: 1) focus on relationship dynamics; 2) longitudinal research on couples; 3) developmental tests of IPV; 4) research on same-sex couples. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive suite of assessments to effectively detect and support couples at risk of IPV and self-help resources to combat IPV. Benefits include the development of an integrative framework to identify couples most at risk of IPV and guide the development of interventions and policy to reduce IPV.Read moreRead less