A safe and efficient multi-language component framework based on dynamic compilation. Components are a versatile mechanism for the construction of extendible systems and for improved code reusability. Emerging environments like Microsoft's .NET support the interaction of components written in different programming languages. To date, such systems do not adequately isolate components which therefore must trust each other. This is unacceptable for components loaded across the Internet. We will dev ....A safe and efficient multi-language component framework based on dynamic compilation. Components are a versatile mechanism for the construction of extendible systems and for improved code reusability. Emerging environments like Microsoft's .NET support the interaction of components written in different programming languages. To date, such systems do not adequately isolate components which therefore must trust each other. This is unacceptable for components loaded across the Internet. We will develop a framework for secure execution of component software, based on hardware-enforced protection domains. To minimize the resulting runtime overheads we will provide a component model with lightweight context switching. A novel typed intermediate language and dynamic compilation techniques will offer complementary optimisations.
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Design and verification of correct, efficient and secure concurrent systems. This project aims to provide methods for the design and verification of correct, secure and efficient concurrent software that are scalable and mechanised. Computers with multiple processors are now the norm and are used in a wide range of safety, security and mission critical software applications such as transport, health and infrastructure. These multi-core architectures have the potential to lead to important effici ....Design and verification of correct, efficient and secure concurrent systems. This project aims to provide methods for the design and verification of correct, secure and efficient concurrent software that are scalable and mechanised. Computers with multiple processors are now the norm and are used in a wide range of safety, security and mission critical software applications such as transport, health and infrastructure. These multi-core architectures have the potential to lead to important efficiency gains, but can introduce complex and error-prone behaviours that cannot be managed using traditional software development approaches. This project will produce better, scalable and mechanised methods for the design and verification of such software which is expected to reduce the prevalence of failures in efficient, modern software.Read moreRead less
Provable elimination of information leakage through timing channels. This project aims to develop techniques to solve the issue in information security of unauthorised information flow resulting from competition for shared hardware resources. The project will combine operating systems design, formal hardware models, information-flow reasoning and theorem proving to achieve a goal that is widely considered infeasible. The project is expected to result in a system that prevents leakage of critical ....Provable elimination of information leakage through timing channels. This project aims to develop techniques to solve the issue in information security of unauthorised information flow resulting from competition for shared hardware resources. The project will combine operating systems design, formal hardware models, information-flow reasoning and theorem proving to achieve a goal that is widely considered infeasible. The project is expected to result in a system that prevents leakage of critical information, such as encryption keys, through timing channels. This should prevent sophisticated attacks on public clouds, mobile devices and military-grade cross-domain devices.Read moreRead less
Gaze Tracking Haptic User Interface for the Blind. It is estimated over 40 million people suffer from sever visual impairment in the modern world. Although blind people are able to use the computer with the aid of a screen reader and output devices like Braille displays, it remains difficult for the blind to use many applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) due to the need for hand-eye coordination when manipulating screen objects with the mouse. This project intends to overcome this d ....Gaze Tracking Haptic User Interface for the Blind. It is estimated over 40 million people suffer from sever visual impairment in the modern world. Although blind people are able to use the computer with the aid of a screen reader and output devices like Braille displays, it remains difficult for the blind to use many applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) due to the need for hand-eye coordination when manipulating screen objects with the mouse. This project intends to overcome this difficulty by providing a means for the blind to perceive and control the GUI of typical computer applications. This potentially could provide increased computer access, job opportunities and education for the blind.Read moreRead less
Security for Virtual Machine based Systems. Secure information systems have become paramount importance to our society and economies, which are increasingly based on online services and Internet infrastructures. Trusted interactions are a strategic necessity for businesses, governments and individuals in this ever-increasing digital world. It is critically important for Australia to develop new technologies to anticipate and respond to security threats to its industry and society. The outcomes ....Security for Virtual Machine based Systems. Secure information systems have become paramount importance to our society and economies, which are increasingly based on online services and Internet infrastructures. Trusted interactions are a strategic necessity for businesses, governments and individuals in this ever-increasing digital world. It is critically important for Australia to develop new technologies to anticipate and respond to security threats to its industry and society. The outcomes of this research will result in novel policy based secure and trusted system models and new techniques for malicious attacks detection, which will help to achieve secure Internet applications and large scale systems in Grid computing and e-Science.Read moreRead less
Internet Timing for the Ages: Establishing the New Timekeeping System. All computers incorporate a software clock, essential to myriad software applications. An economic way to synchronize such clocks is over a network, however the approach the Internet currently depends upon is unreliable and vulnerable. This project aims to establish a new architecture for networked timekeeping, built on future-proofed fundamentals, that will for the first time address each of accuracy, reliability, and trust. ....Internet Timing for the Ages: Establishing the New Timekeeping System. All computers incorporate a software clock, essential to myriad software applications. An economic way to synchronize such clocks is over a network, however the approach the Internet currently depends upon is unreliable and vulnerable. This project aims to establish a new architecture for networked timekeeping, built on future-proofed fundamentals, that will for the first time address each of accuracy, reliability, and trust. The expected outcome is a national prototype, serving the public with accurate and trusted time, that will form the basis of the next generation timekeeping system for the Internet and the Internet of Things. Expected benefits include enhanced productivity across the digital economy, and resilience to GPS failures.Read moreRead less
Robust Control Design using Micro-Actuators. Recent advances in micro-actuators have enabled many new applications in complex systems. Examples include ultra-high density disk drives, low-cost vibration tables, and micro-robotic systems. However, control design for these systems is very challenging because the micro-actuators have severely limited dynamic ranges and strong couplings. The proposed project aims to study new control design approaches for these complex systems. The work will focus o ....Robust Control Design using Micro-Actuators. Recent advances in micro-actuators have enabled many new applications in complex systems. Examples include ultra-high density disk drives, low-cost vibration tables, and micro-robotic systems. However, control design for these systems is very challenging because the micro-actuators have severely limited dynamic ranges and strong couplings. The proposed project aims to study new control design approaches for these complex systems. The work will focus on both theoretical studies and experimental applications of such systems. The outcome of the project will help put Australia in a more advanced position in this niche area of leading age technology.Read moreRead less
Leveraging open innovation: software and processes for engaging with online communities. The research could help transform the ability of Australian industry to design software systems and processes that (i) engage with online communities to create and enhance organizational knowledge, (ii) accelerate innovation processes, and (iii) exploit existing intellectual property (IP).
Modelling IT Alignment in Multi-Business Service Organisations. Information technology and communication is responsible for nearly 80% of all productivity growth in the Australian services sector. A critical strategic alignment decision is the trade-off between investments in shared corporate IT infrastructure and individual business unit IT applications. The current response is to establish elaborate IT governance, reporting controls aimed at balance and compromise across the organization. Our ....Modelling IT Alignment in Multi-Business Service Organisations. Information technology and communication is responsible for nearly 80% of all productivity growth in the Australian services sector. A critical strategic alignment decision is the trade-off between investments in shared corporate IT infrastructure and individual business unit IT applications. The current response is to establish elaborate IT governance, reporting controls aimed at balance and compromise across the organization. Our model will provide a deeper understanding of what should be built as shared corporate IT infrastructure and as IT applications within individual strategic business units. This research will enable Australian industry to get greater value from its existing levels their expenditure in IT.Read moreRead less
Intelligent Biomedical System Modelling and Multi-modality Image Analysis to Maximize Diagnostic Information from Medical Imaging. Medical imaging is an essential part of our Australian modern health care system and plays an important role in the diagnosis, treatment planning and decision making and assessment of treatment of patients. This project aims to maximize the benefit of federal government healthcare investment through intelligent biomedical system modelling in conjunction with multi-mo ....Intelligent Biomedical System Modelling and Multi-modality Image Analysis to Maximize Diagnostic Information from Medical Imaging. Medical imaging is an essential part of our Australian modern health care system and plays an important role in the diagnosis, treatment planning and decision making and assessment of treatment of patients. This project aims to maximize the benefit of federal government healthcare investment through intelligent biomedical system modelling in conjunction with multi-modality image analysis to extract crucial additional information for accurate diagnosis and improved treatment, which will not only lead to a major scientific advancement, but also deliver significant social benefits.Read moreRead less