Bottom-up multiscale modelling of expansive soils in natural environments . Expansive soils, highly sensitive to the environment, undergo dramatic strength and volume changes. This project aims to advance our understanding of expansive soils under different temperatures, hydraulic conditions, mechanical loads, and aqueous salinities. The project expects to use a combination of multidisciplinary knowledge, multiscale experiments and numerical simulations. The outcomes are a new multiscale model a ....Bottom-up multiscale modelling of expansive soils in natural environments . Expansive soils, highly sensitive to the environment, undergo dramatic strength and volume changes. This project aims to advance our understanding of expansive soils under different temperatures, hydraulic conditions, mechanical loads, and aqueous salinities. The project expects to use a combination of multidisciplinary knowledge, multiscale experiments and numerical simulations. The outcomes are a new multiscale model and advanced analysis/design tool for evaluating the performance of expansive soils under different conditions. The outcomes should provide the efficient way to mitigate the significant damage caused to infrastructure by expansive soils and facilitate the application of expansive soil products in waste disposal systems.Read moreRead less
Composite structures: a game changer for modular buildings. Modular construction can tackle Australia's housing affordability crisis on a large scale. This project aims to develop cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of modular buildings by embracing recent breakthroughs in construction materials, computational modelling methods and construction techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel composite modular unit, a smart joining technique, a robust computational framework and desig ....Composite structures: a game changer for modular buildings. Modular construction can tackle Australia's housing affordability crisis on a large scale. This project aims to develop cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of modular buildings by embracing recent breakthroughs in construction materials, computational modelling methods and construction techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel composite modular unit, a smart joining technique, a robust computational framework and design guidelines that enable modular buildings to be built taller, safer, faster and thus cheaper than current practices allow. This project will position Australia at the forefront of modular construction technology, and make the local construction industry more competitive globally.Read moreRead less
Variational multiscale modelling of granular materials. Granular materials play an important role in a wide-range of problems related to physical infrastructure. These include landslides and similar catastrophic events often leading to loss of life and property. This project will aim to develop new methods for adequate simulation of granular flows to allow formulation of efficient risk mitigation strategies.
Interactive learning for robots in human environments. This project aims to develop robots that can interact with and learn from humans to quickly and safely learn new skills. Recent advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are poised to transform our economy, workplaces and homes, and even the organisation of society, however these advances are limited by robots’ inability to learn and adapt in uncertain environments. The outcomes of this project are expected to include new validated me ....Interactive learning for robots in human environments. This project aims to develop robots that can interact with and learn from humans to quickly and safely learn new skills. Recent advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are poised to transform our economy, workplaces and homes, and even the organisation of society, however these advances are limited by robots’ inability to learn and adapt in uncertain environments. The outcomes of this project are expected to include new validated methods and frameworks to enable robots to be used by non-experts and to be quickly deployed in a variety of settings. This is anticipated to provide transformative benefits, improving safety and productivity in the workspace, and enabling improved comfort, convenience and quality of life in the home.Read moreRead less
Parallel Lines: Ultra-dense optical systems for extreme data-rates. The project aims to explore methods to significantly expand global internet data rates, by using emerging ultra-dense optical technologies. The project plans to discover how novel existing and emerging tiny photonic chip devices may enable the use of new, unused optical spectral bands, and then enable 1000s of channels to be supported by exploiting newly available parallelism in both wavelength and space. Success in the project ....Parallel Lines: Ultra-dense optical systems for extreme data-rates. The project aims to explore methods to significantly expand global internet data rates, by using emerging ultra-dense optical technologies. The project plans to discover how novel existing and emerging tiny photonic chip devices may enable the use of new, unused optical spectral bands, and then enable 1000s of channels to be supported by exploiting newly available parallelism in both wavelength and space. Success in the project aims may enable speeds of up to 100 times greater than achievable today, in a variety of fibre optic systems. Connectivity is key to our society, so benefits may arise in both future-proofing key Australian data infrastructure, and in providing a roadmap to support exponential capacity growth over the coming decades.Read moreRead less
How the gut nervous system interacts with bacteria. This project aims to reveal how the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract interacts with the gut microbiota. Gut function has largely been studied without considering microbiota. The project will use genetically modified animal models, image analysis of gut motility and sequencing of gut microbes, and develop neurophysiological methods to understand gut function. Expected benefits include better understanding of mechanisms u ....How the gut nervous system interacts with bacteria. This project aims to reveal how the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract interacts with the gut microbiota. Gut function has largely been studied without considering microbiota. The project will use genetically modified animal models, image analysis of gut motility and sequencing of gut microbes, and develop neurophysiological methods to understand gut function. Expected benefits include better understanding of mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance, risks associated with discretionary caesarean sections and the benefits of breastfeeding.Read moreRead less
Ambient spatial intelligence: Spatial analysis and event detection in environmental geosensor networks. This project will design and test innovative new decentralised algorithms for responding to spatiotemporal queries in environmental monitoring networks. The research is essential for constructing larger, denser, and more reliable networks, helping to embed spatial intelligence within the environment itself (ambient spatial intelligence). The project builds on Australia's existing research exce ....Ambient spatial intelligence: Spatial analysis and event detection in environmental geosensor networks. This project will design and test innovative new decentralised algorithms for responding to spatiotemporal queries in environmental monitoring networks. The research is essential for constructing larger, denser, and more reliable networks, helping to embed spatial intelligence within the environment itself (ambient spatial intelligence). The project builds on Australia's existing research excellence in geographic information science. By making smarter use of spatial information, the project will further strengthen Australia's world-leading spatial information industry, and support sustainable and economic environmental management through important applications like conservation contracts and carbon sequestration monitoring.Read moreRead less
Piezoelectric nanofibre membranes with built-in p-n junction: new self-rectifying piezoelectric power generators. This project will aim to develop new knowledge about how to efficiently convert small mechanical energy into directly usable electric power using piezoelectric nanofibre membranes and will fill this knowledge gap by systematically understanding the influence of doping agents on the charge transport during energy conversion.
Real time optimisation by extremum seeking control and learning control. Optimal control technology provides the systematic design of systems that exhibit optimal behaviour, such as maximal productivity, best efficiency, minimal cost and best quality. Real time optimisation finds the solution of the optimal control in real time, relaxing requirements on the system knowledge. The proposed research will build on Australia's well-established strength in control and optimisation, and aim to establis ....Real time optimisation by extremum seeking control and learning control. Optimal control technology provides the systematic design of systems that exhibit optimal behaviour, such as maximal productivity, best efficiency, minimal cost and best quality. Real time optimisation finds the solution of the optimal control in real time, relaxing requirements on the system knowledge. The proposed research will build on Australia's well-established strength in control and optimisation, and aim to establish within Australia world-leading expertise in real time optimisation theories and applications. This will have direct benefits to the Australian economy through various engineering applications ranging from vehicle dynamics to emissions reduction to manufacturing process to efficiency improvement of power generation systems.Read moreRead less
Highly efficient electric power and value-added synthesis gas co-generation from methane with zero greenhouse gas emission. This project addresses a novel sealing-free solid oxide fuel cell system producing simultaneously synthesis gas and electricity from methane with zero greenhouse gas emission. The project aims to deliver economic benefits and contribute to environmental protection and increased employment opportunities.