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
Next generation smart lighting to improve sleep and alertness. Light has a powerful influence on our sleep and alertness. The manipulation of the amount of blue in a light source and the visual brightness of a light source are key factors, but there has been no systematic study that can guide manufacturers in the design of the ideal light source for promoting either sleep or alertness. This study will systematically examine the impact of the amount of blue light in a light source and the visual ....Next generation smart lighting to improve sleep and alertness. Light has a powerful influence on our sleep and alertness. The manipulation of the amount of blue in a light source and the visual brightness of a light source are key factors, but there has been no systematic study that can guide manufacturers in the design of the ideal light source for promoting either sleep or alertness. This study will systematically examine the impact of the amount of blue light in a light source and the visual brightness, creating a wide range of combinations that can be used to model the optimal light specifications for sleep and alertness, while maintaining visual acuity and colour discrimination. This will be the evidence base needed by the lighting industry to create the next generation of smart lighting.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC210100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,583,816.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Optimal Ageing. The ARC Training Centre for Optimal Ageing aims to address issues identified by older adults as essential for quality of life. With our industry partners, we aim to train the next generation of researchers to understand, detect and improve psychosocial factors that support mental activity, physical health and social connectedness, and embrace advances in artificial intelligence, digital-enriched environments and adaptive workplaces to deliver effective dig ....ARC Training Centre for Optimal Ageing. The ARC Training Centre for Optimal Ageing aims to address issues identified by older adults as essential for quality of life. With our industry partners, we aim to train the next generation of researchers to understand, detect and improve psychosocial factors that support mental activity, physical health and social connectedness, and embrace advances in artificial intelligence, digital-enriched environments and adaptive workplaces to deliver effective digital solutions. By developing new capacity and capability to drive the digital transformation of industries supporting our ageing population, our Centre seeks to deliver economic and social benefits that enable Australians to live enriched, healthy and independent lives as they age.Read moreRead less
Unleashing the potential of VR: reducing sickness in head-mounted displays. Virtual reality (VR) is a breakthrough technology with a host of applied uses. Unfortunately, many people become sick when using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Our project proposes, and aims to test, a new theory of this cybersickness. We intend to quantify the sensory conflicts produced by HMD VR for the first time and measure their effects on perception, eye-movements, balance and well-being. The project will 1) determi ....Unleashing the potential of VR: reducing sickness in head-mounted displays. Virtual reality (VR) is a breakthrough technology with a host of applied uses. Unfortunately, many people become sick when using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Our project proposes, and aims to test, a new theory of this cybersickness. We intend to quantify the sensory conflicts produced by HMD VR for the first time and measure their effects on perception, eye-movements, balance and well-being. The project will 1) determine the causes of, and conditions responsible for, cybersickness; and 2) offer practical information on how to prevent it. These outcomes are expected to directly benefit, and greatly improve HMD use in, fields ranging from defence, education, entertainment, gaming, medicine, real estate, simulation training and tourism.Read moreRead less
Modelling human perceptual-motor interaction for human-machine applications. This project aims to develop a new modelling framework for identifying the perceptual-motor processes that underlie cooperative and competitive human interaction. The project will also determine whether this modelling framework can be combined with modern machine-learning methods to develop artificial agents capable of human level performance. Expected outcomes will include a practical methodology for rapidly generating ....Modelling human perceptual-motor interaction for human-machine applications. This project aims to develop a new modelling framework for identifying the perceptual-motor processes that underlie cooperative and competitive human interaction. The project will also determine whether this modelling framework can be combined with modern machine-learning methods to develop artificial agents capable of human level performance. Expected outcomes will include a practical methodology for rapidly generating models of effective human interaction that can be easily implemented in human-machine systems. This will provide a richer understanding of the fundamental perceptual-motor processes that support robust human interaction and enhanced the effectiveness of human-machine collaboration and training technologies.Read moreRead less
Drivers and constraints of romantic partner choice. This project aims to illuminate how genetic and environmental factors drive and constrain romantic partner choice. This choice can be the most significant in people’s lives, but how it works is not scientifically understood. This project will analyse the preferences and actual partners of thousands of twins using multivariable statistics and theoretic models of partner choice. The project aims to reveal why some people pair with incompatible pa ....Drivers and constraints of romantic partner choice. This project aims to illuminate how genetic and environmental factors drive and constrain romantic partner choice. This choice can be the most significant in people’s lives, but how it works is not scientifically understood. This project will analyse the preferences and actual partners of thousands of twins using multivariable statistics and theoretic models of partner choice. The project aims to reveal why some people pair with incompatible partners, and the consequences of partner mismatch for psychological wellbeing and for evolutionary processes driven by mate selection. This could lead to more effective relationship management.Read moreRead less
Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under ....Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under different memory conditions and how these functions change with age. The intended outcome of this proposal is to provide the foundations for the first integrated model of human memory and its biological basis and to generate a benchmark against which future development of memory interventions and retraining can be measured.Read moreRead less
Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into ....Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into the relationship between confidence, memory success and memory quality, and the underlying neural substrates of these processes. This work will provide the essential empirical foundation to augment memory function, ensuring that older adults can continue to participate as active members of society.Read moreRead less
Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, ....Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, and performance for an individual, requiring only a simple activity/light sensor and an assessment of the body clock's sensitivity to light. The new model would revolutionise fatigue management and make safer work environments for millions of shift workers. Read moreRead less
Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and ....Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and functional analyses. The outcomes of this project are expected to improve our understanding of how specific brain pathways govern maternal behaviour. The novel insight gained is expected to advance theories regarding the organisation of maternal care and enable their practical testing.Read moreRead less