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
Low-energy electro-photonics: novel materials, devices and systems. This project aims to develop low-power technologies for programming and tuning photonic integrated circuits (PICs). By replacing thermal tuning, the project will reduce power consumption from watts to milliwatts, which also eliminates the thermal crosstalk that limits the complexity of today's PICs. The expected outcome will be the basis for a generic field-programmable photonic chip, which can be used to rapidly prototype desig ....Low-energy electro-photonics: novel materials, devices and systems. This project aims to develop low-power technologies for programming and tuning photonic integrated circuits (PICs). By replacing thermal tuning, the project will reduce power consumption from watts to milliwatts, which also eliminates the thermal crosstalk that limits the complexity of today's PICs. The expected outcome will be the basis for a generic field-programmable photonic chip, which can be used to rapidly prototype designs for production as full custom chips as part of a new Australian industry capability. The expected benefits will be a faster innovation cycle, greater adoption of photonic technologies, and support of research into, for example, neuromorphic optical processing, and advanced communications and sensing systems.Read moreRead less
Millimeter Wave Frequencies for Vehicle-to-Everything Communications. High data rate communication links between vehicles and surrounding objects are needed to enhance advanced driver assistance systems, enable a wider range of infotainment options and pave the way towards fully automated driving. This project aims to develop a novel framework to use millimeter wave frequencies (the newest candidate for 5G cellular) to enable future high data rate vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system ....Millimeter Wave Frequencies for Vehicle-to-Everything Communications. High data rate communication links between vehicles and surrounding objects are needed to enhance advanced driver assistance systems, enable a wider range of infotainment options and pave the way towards fully automated driving. This project aims to develop a novel framework to use millimeter wave frequencies (the newest candidate for 5G cellular) to enable future high data rate vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems. Based on an innovative approach, the project combines communication and sensor technologies in an integrated system that simultaneously reaps the benefits of autonomously sensing the driving environment and cooperatively exchanging information, thus providing significant savings in hardware costs and spectrum usage.Read moreRead less
Wireless Cellular Connectivity for Large Scale Critical Applications. Fostered by continuous technology advances, a vision of the Industrial Internet is emerging, in which equipment, machines, and industrial robots are interconnected to each other and to the cloud, allowing remote control of industrial processes and critical infrastructure, to intelligently optimise their behaviour with minimal human intervention. Moving from the state-of-the-art small pilot projects to a global Industrial Inte ....Wireless Cellular Connectivity for Large Scale Critical Applications. Fostered by continuous technology advances, a vision of the Industrial Internet is emerging, in which equipment, machines, and industrial robots are interconnected to each other and to the cloud, allowing remote control of industrial processes and critical infrastructure, to intelligently optimise their behaviour with minimal human intervention. Moving from the state-of-the-art small pilot projects to a global Industrial Internet requires wireless systems with consistent high reliability, low latency and massive connectivity. In this project we will develop new communication-theoretic principles and technologies for wireless networks meeting the demands of critical industrial and infrastructure applications in the Industrial Internet era.Read moreRead less
Harnessing hidden diversity gains of cellular networks. This project aims to investigate novel communication schemes that can increase the capacity of mobile networks. The demand for wireless data by the Australian mobile users is expected to exceed the capacity of the Australian mobile networks. The expected outcomes of this project are communication schemes that can double the reliability of wireless links in mobile networks, and thereby significantly improve the capacity of mobile networks in ....Harnessing hidden diversity gains of cellular networks. This project aims to investigate novel communication schemes that can increase the capacity of mobile networks. The demand for wireless data by the Australian mobile users is expected to exceed the capacity of the Australian mobile networks. The expected outcomes of this project are communication schemes that can double the reliability of wireless links in mobile networks, and thereby significantly improve the capacity of mobile networks in Australia and around the world. Significant benefits are expected in all areas of society that rely on wireless communication of data.Read moreRead less
Optical wireless communications: solving the spectrum crunch. This project aims to make optical wireless communication to handheld mobile receivers a reality by developing systems which combine holographic filters and microsystems to realise a new form of receiver. This will be based on analysis of all of the complex interactions of transmitter, receiver and channel properties. The new receivers will exploit the narrow field of view of holographic optical filters. This project will generate know ....Optical wireless communications: solving the spectrum crunch. This project aims to make optical wireless communication to handheld mobile receivers a reality by developing systems which combine holographic filters and microsystems to realise a new form of receiver. This will be based on analysis of all of the complex interactions of transmitter, receiver and channel properties. The new receivers will exploit the narrow field of view of holographic optical filters. This project will generate knowledge in the fields of communications theory and on the use of holographic filters and microsystems. This solution to the lack of available radio frequency spectrum which conventional wireless face will provide significant practical and commercial benefits.Read moreRead less
Massive Data Reading with Mobile Data Collectors for the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) supports the connectivity of almost everything including powerless simple devices (such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags), making it an indispensable technology for future industry and business. This project is to develop systematic and cost-effective approaches by leveraging existing cellular networks for the connectivity of simple sensors/devices using mobile data collectors ( ....Massive Data Reading with Mobile Data Collectors for the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) supports the connectivity of almost everything including powerless simple devices (such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags), making it an indispensable technology for future industry and business. This project is to develop systematic and cost-effective approaches by leveraging existing cellular networks for the connectivity of simple sensors/devices using mobile data collectors (such as smart phones) so that their information becomes available to IoT applications via cellular systems. For example, products’ information stored in RFID tags or power-limited sensors' data can be provided to logistic or IoT applications, respectively, without building dedicated systems via existing cellular systems.Read moreRead less
Pumping up the volume on sound-light interactions. This project aims to create a new class of integrated microwave information processors on a single optical chip. Using electro-acoustic coupling in semiconductors, we expect to reduce optical power requirements hundredfold, enabling the emergence of practically deployable processors using ordinary telecom lasers. The expected project outcomes are inexpensive, compact, stable and energy efficient microwave photonic processors, a key requirement f ....Pumping up the volume on sound-light interactions. This project aims to create a new class of integrated microwave information processors on a single optical chip. Using electro-acoustic coupling in semiconductors, we expect to reduce optical power requirements hundredfold, enabling the emergence of practically deployable processors using ordinary telecom lasers. The expected project outcomes are inexpensive, compact, stable and energy efficient microwave photonic processors, a key requirement for reference standards and precision measurements of time and frequency. This technology has the potential to create a multitude of opportunities for commercial development in the fields of defence, information security, autonomous vehicles, sensing, and ultra-high bandwidth mobile communications.Read moreRead less
Photonics Platform to Transform Mobile Fronthaul Infrastructure. Future wireless systems of mobile networks and defence platforms will need to offer high-speed, low-delay, reliable connectivity and high bandwidth. With the explosive growth of wireless systems, this creates significant challenges in fronthaul - the link connecting antennas with the signal processors and core network. This project aims to design and develop an innovative fronthaul for wireless systems based on a dynamically reconf ....Photonics Platform to Transform Mobile Fronthaul Infrastructure. Future wireless systems of mobile networks and defence platforms will need to offer high-speed, low-delay, reliable connectivity and high bandwidth. With the explosive growth of wireless systems, this creates significant challenges in fronthaul - the link connecting antennas with the signal processors and core network. This project aims to design and develop an innovative fronthaul for wireless systems based on a dynamically reconfigurable, software-defined photonic platform capable of meeting diverse requirements. The outcomes of this project will help build a scalable fronthaul solution to overcome fundamental challenges and realise cost-effective pathways for transforming how future wireless networks and defence platforms are realised.Read moreRead less
Rainbows on demand: coherent comb sources on a photonic chip. This project aims to create photonic circuit technologies that will generate hundreds of coherent laser lines from a single chip. The emerging industrially scalable silicon nitride on thin-film lithium niobate platform will be advanced to create resonant modulators and nonlinear waveguides with unprecedented efficiency and innovative monitoring and control techniques. When combined, these components will enable highly flexible and rob ....Rainbows on demand: coherent comb sources on a photonic chip. This project aims to create photonic circuit technologies that will generate hundreds of coherent laser lines from a single chip. The emerging industrially scalable silicon nitride on thin-film lithium niobate platform will be advanced to create resonant modulators and nonlinear waveguides with unprecedented efficiency and innovative monitoring and control techniques. When combined, these components will enable highly flexible and robust systems for generating a comb of coherent laser lines. These photonic chip comb sources will be inexpensive, compact and energy efficient with transformative impact in spectroscopy, microscopy, precision measurement, quantum computing and ultra-fast optical fibre communications.Read moreRead less