Optimisation-based analysis and synthesis of sparse systems in signal processing and communication. This project will make onceptual advances in the areas of signal processing and communication. A major benefit of this project will be its direct applications to digital industry - perhaps the major electrical industry of our era. The project will also aim to build a world class research activity at the University of New South Wales to focus attention on low-cost signal processing and communicatio ....Optimisation-based analysis and synthesis of sparse systems in signal processing and communication. This project will make onceptual advances in the areas of signal processing and communication. A major benefit of this project will be its direct applications to digital industry - perhaps the major electrical industry of our era. The project will also aim to build a world class research activity at the University of New South Wales to focus attention on low-cost signal processing and communication, increase capacity for contract research, enhance nternational collaboration with leading researchers in the area, and produce quality PhD graduates in the field of signal processing and communication.Read moreRead less
Optimum Multi-rate Filter Bank Design for Speech Enhancement and Communication Systems. Multi-rate signal processing is gaining more and more importance in signal processing applications such as echo cancellation, microphone arrays, speech enhancement and equalisation. This project is aimed at obtaining high performance and high efficiency multi-rate processing designs by developing appropriate problem formulations based on solid mathematical foundations so that powerful optimisation techniques ....Optimum Multi-rate Filter Bank Design for Speech Enhancement and Communication Systems. Multi-rate signal processing is gaining more and more importance in signal processing applications such as echo cancellation, microphone arrays, speech enhancement and equalisation. This project is aimed at obtaining high performance and high efficiency multi-rate processing designs by developing appropriate problem formulations based on solid mathematical foundations so that powerful optimisation techniques can be applied. The developed multi-rate systems will result in low complexity and low power hardware implementations without significant compromise in performance in each application. Size and cost sensitive of communication devices such as personal data assistants, mobile telephones, hands-free devices, and laptops will benefit greatly from the outcome of the project.Read moreRead less
Analysis and Design of Multi-objective Optimal Multirate Filter Banks. Multirate filter banks are a fundamental subsystem and play a key role in many applications in information technology, such as digital communications and digital audio and video signal processing. Most of the existing design methods of multirate filter banks are based on idealized operation conditions, so often they do not provide practically desirable performance. This project will develop innovative design methods for multi ....Analysis and Design of Multi-objective Optimal Multirate Filter Banks. Multirate filter banks are a fundamental subsystem and play a key role in many applications in information technology, such as digital communications and digital audio and video signal processing. Most of the existing design methods of multirate filter banks are based on idealized operation conditions, so often they do not provide practically desirable performance. This project will develop innovative design methods for multirate filter banks under the worst operational conditions and multiple conflicting design objectives. The results will fill in the gap between the theoretical design and the practical requirements to provide enhanced performance of systems using multirate filter banks.Read moreRead less
Plasmon mode lasers; smaller, faster, better. High speed Information Technology (IT) communication is using more and more of our global energy. Energy efficiency of IT hardware can be improved by incorporating small, high performance lasers for short distance optical communication. New metallic and plasmonic nano-lasers lasers are indeed smaller and in theory can have performance advantages over current dielectric cavity lasers. This project looks at developing new electrically pumped plasmonic ....Plasmon mode lasers; smaller, faster, better. High speed Information Technology (IT) communication is using more and more of our global energy. Energy efficiency of IT hardware can be improved by incorporating small, high performance lasers for short distance optical communication. New metallic and plasmonic nano-lasers lasers are indeed smaller and in theory can have performance advantages over current dielectric cavity lasers. This project looks at developing new electrically pumped plasmonic lasers with nano scale semiconductors that satisfy requirements for short distance optical communications. Complex systems of these small, fast lasers will also be investigated, with the aim of providing high speed digital processing capabilities exceeding those of electronics.Read moreRead less
Routing shapes of light for the next generation of fibre optic networks. In 2016, the United Nations declared access to the Internet as basic human right. Our communication networks are facing a capacity crunch, which will transform a basic human right for everyone into a privilege for a few. This project aims to avoid a capacity crunch by creating innovative solutions for the next generation of optical fibre communication networks. This project stands to generate new knowledge in photonics, opt ....Routing shapes of light for the next generation of fibre optic networks. In 2016, the United Nations declared access to the Internet as basic human right. Our communication networks are facing a capacity crunch, which will transform a basic human right for everyone into a privilege for a few. This project aims to avoid a capacity crunch by creating innovative solutions for the next generation of optical fibre communication networks. This project stands to generate new knowledge in photonics, optical communication and advanced manufacturing. The expected benefits are new academic collaborations, enhancing Australia’s international standing and economic benefit through commercialisation and training of students for the growing photonics industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Smart CMOS Vision Sensors in Deep Sub-0.25um CMOS Technologies. This research project aims to develop a new generation of smart vision sensors featuring on-chip and pixel-level implementation of human vision based algorithms. Built in state-of-the-art deep sub-0.25um CMOS technologies, these imagers will feature extensive in-pixel processing power in contrast to the currently commercially available CMOS vision sensors. This will enable on-chip vision-based decision making but also increased on-c ....Smart CMOS Vision Sensors in Deep Sub-0.25um CMOS Technologies. This research project aims to develop a new generation of smart vision sensors featuring on-chip and pixel-level implementation of human vision based algorithms. Built in state-of-the-art deep sub-0.25um CMOS technologies, these imagers will feature extensive in-pixel processing power in contrast to the currently commercially available CMOS vision sensors. This will enable on-chip vision-based decision making but also increased on-chip image processing. These innovative system-on-chip features will contribute towards the positioning of CMOS imaging technology as the technology of choice for most digital imaging applications, in place of the existing, and so far unchallenged, CCD technology.
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Hardware Acceleration for Neural Systems. To really understand how brains work, we need to simulate neural networks of a size similar to that of the human brain (100 billion neurons, 100 trillion connections). Simulating such a network on standard computers in not possible because of its sheer size. Several groups are currently building very expensive and proprietary hardware to solve this, but the output from these projects will not be accessible to other researchers. In order to make real prog ....Hardware Acceleration for Neural Systems. To really understand how brains work, we need to simulate neural networks of a size similar to that of the human brain (100 billion neurons, 100 trillion connections). Simulating such a network on standard computers in not possible because of its sheer size. Several groups are currently building very expensive and proprietary hardware to solve this, but the output from these projects will not be accessible to other researchers. In order to make real progress in neuroscience, many more researchers need to be enabled to participate. To do this, the project will build a system from commercial hardware (FPGAs) that will cost only a few ten thousand dollars and it will make this design and software available for free. Read moreRead less
Electronic Auditory Pathway. We will develop electronic building blocks to investigate biological signal processing. In particular, we will investigate the auditory pathway and develop the most accurate electronic model of the biological cochlea and auditory nerve. These will be followed by electronic circuits that model the processing of sensory signals in the brain. Processing signals with neural spikes offers distinct advantages over current analogue and digital signal processing techniques i ....Electronic Auditory Pathway. We will develop electronic building blocks to investigate biological signal processing. In particular, we will investigate the auditory pathway and develop the most accurate electronic model of the biological cochlea and auditory nerve. These will be followed by electronic circuits that model the processing of sensory signals in the brain. Processing signals with neural spikes offers distinct advantages over current analogue and digital signal processing techniques in terms of noise, energy consumption and extraction of temporal information. We will implement the first spike-based models of pitch and timbre perception, and a neural model of speech recognition in noisy environments.Read moreRead less
A 3D CMOS Vision Sensor with Pixel Level Analog-to-Digital Converter and Intelligent Processing. The aim of this research project is to build a smart vision sensor using advanced 3D technology. The smart sensor will consist of two vertically stacked levels comprising the vision sensor chip with pixel-level Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and the processing chip for edge and motion detection. The pixel level ADC will be based on new architectures offering improved performance in terms of dynami ....A 3D CMOS Vision Sensor with Pixel Level Analog-to-Digital Converter and Intelligent Processing. The aim of this research project is to build a smart vision sensor using advanced 3D technology. The smart sensor will consist of two vertically stacked levels comprising the vision sensor chip with pixel-level Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and the processing chip for edge and motion detection. The pixel level ADC will be based on new architectures offering improved performance in terms of dynamic range, fill-factor, and signal-to-noise ratio. Both the vision and the processing chips will be realised in standard CMOS technology, which make the smart vision sensor very suitable for low cost consumer electronic applications.Read moreRead less
Design and Control of Sensorless, Brushless, Linear Permanent Magnet Motors for Fluid Pumping. Many machines require reciprocating motion and achieve it by mechanical conversion of rotary motion. In particular, pistons for liquid pumping and gas compression are usually driven by a crank on a rotary electric motor. Driving the piston directly by a linear motor eliminates the cost, weight, inefficiency and wear of the mechanical conversion. This project will design, construct and test high efficie ....Design and Control of Sensorless, Brushless, Linear Permanent Magnet Motors for Fluid Pumping. Many machines require reciprocating motion and achieve it by mechanical conversion of rotary motion. In particular, pistons for liquid pumping and gas compression are usually driven by a crank on a rotary electric motor. Driving the piston directly by a linear motor eliminates the cost, weight, inefficiency and wear of the mechanical conversion. This project will design, construct and test high efficiency, tubular, linear permanent magnet motors for fluid pumping. Further, an intelligent electronic controller will be developed to control the motor speed and reversals without sensors in the motor. Initial applications will be solar powered water pumping and purification.Read moreRead less