Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicl ....Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicle crashes and will identify cost-effective strategies to reduce the growing economic burden associated with these crashes.Read moreRead less
Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is importa ....Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is important that Australians are provided with optimal helmets. The specification of product standards is also relevant for international trade agreements. Read moreRead less
Beam steering by Huygens metasurfaces for sensing applications. Beam steering by Huygens metasurfaces for sensing applications. This project aims to develop steerable radar systems for navigation sensors and surround monitoring in vehicles, using antennas operating in the millimetre-wave range, which have improved resolution and maintain long sensing distances. The boom in radar sensing technologies used for safety and comfort in cars has stimulated the need for cost-effective directional antenn ....Beam steering by Huygens metasurfaces for sensing applications. Beam steering by Huygens metasurfaces for sensing applications. This project aims to develop steerable radar systems for navigation sensors and surround monitoring in vehicles, using antennas operating in the millimetre-wave range, which have improved resolution and maintain long sensing distances. The boom in radar sensing technologies used for safety and comfort in cars has stimulated the need for cost-effective directional antennas for beam steering in sensing applications. This project will use the recently discovered concept of Huygens metasurfaces, which enable cost-effective devices with low transmission losses and strong tuning of beam-steering angle. The wider availability of such radars is expected to enhance collision prevention systems, adaptive cruise control and ultimately help create self-navigating cars.Read moreRead less
A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitat ....A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitating injuries. This project will provide insight into how the incidence and costs associated with P2W crashes can be reduced. In addition, congestion costs in each of Australia's capital cities are on the order of $3 billion per annum and there is potential for P2W research to reduce not only that cost but also the broader environmental impacts of travel by providing an alternative to cars.Read moreRead less
Stable on-demand optimization for workforce and fleet logistics management. This project aims to conceive, develop and deploy innovative methodologies for stable on-demand workforce management and fleet logistics based on advanced decision-support systems. The outcome of this project will provide a new cloud-based real-time Optimisation Software-as-a-Service (OSaaS) platform that allows businesses to improve their productivity while reducing operating costs and their environmental footprint. Thi ....Stable on-demand optimization for workforce and fleet logistics management. This project aims to conceive, develop and deploy innovative methodologies for stable on-demand workforce management and fleet logistics based on advanced decision-support systems. The outcome of this project will provide a new cloud-based real-time Optimisation Software-as-a-Service (OSaaS) platform that allows businesses to improve their productivity while reducing operating costs and their environmental footprint. This is expected to support the manufacturing, retail, delivery and mobile fleets industries.Read moreRead less
Hazard Perception and Cognitive Ageing in Older Drivers: Investigation and Development. Older road users have high fatal crash rates that cost the Australian economy $500 million each year. However, driving cessation is associated with depression and reduced social participation among older adults. The present study will benefit older road users and the wider community by identifying which traffic hazards pose the greatest difficulty for older drivers and providing information that may lead to a ....Hazard Perception and Cognitive Ageing in Older Drivers: Investigation and Development. Older road users have high fatal crash rates that cost the Australian economy $500 million each year. However, driving cessation is associated with depression and reduced social participation among older adults. The present study will benefit older road users and the wider community by identifying which traffic hazards pose the greatest difficulty for older drivers and providing information that may lead to adaptation of roads, and vehicles to reduce crash risk among older Australians. This will reduce injury and healthcare costs and allow older Australians to maintain higher levels of social participation.Read moreRead less
Towards in-vehicle situation awareness using visual and audio sensors. This project aims to characterise driver awareness, activity and interactions with other vehicle occupants using visual and audio cues from internally mounted sensors. Road accidents cost Australia an estimated $30 billion per year and tragic loss of thousands of lives, yet the vast majority of severe vehicle crashes are linked to driver fatigue or distraction. The expected project outcomes include advanced artificial intelli ....Towards in-vehicle situation awareness using visual and audio sensors. This project aims to characterise driver awareness, activity and interactions with other vehicle occupants using visual and audio cues from internally mounted sensors. Road accidents cost Australia an estimated $30 billion per year and tragic loss of thousands of lives, yet the vast majority of severe vehicle crashes are linked to driver fatigue or distraction. The expected project outcomes include advanced artificial intelligence to infer and predict dangerous driver and passenger behaviour. This has the potential to significantly benefit society by advancing autonomous driving capabilities and reducing driver-induced accidents and fatalities, ensuring that every driver, passenger and pedestrian arrives home safely at the end of each day.Read moreRead less
Investigating Transport Disadvantage, Social Exclusion and Well Being in Metropolitan, Regional and Rural Victoria. This project strengthens national approaches to a pervasive Australian problem; fringe urban and rural communities who are excluded from life opportunities due to lack of transport. Evidence suggests this problem is growing as fuel costs rise, the population ages and rural/fringe urban migration continues. Australia spends Billions annually to address these issues but Australian ....Investigating Transport Disadvantage, Social Exclusion and Well Being in Metropolitan, Regional and Rural Victoria. This project strengthens national approaches to a pervasive Australian problem; fringe urban and rural communities who are excluded from life opportunities due to lack of transport. Evidence suggests this problem is growing as fuel costs rise, the population ages and rural/fringe urban migration continues. Australia spends Billions annually to address these issues but Australian research exploring the nature of behaviours and links between transport problems and life opportunities is limited. This project fills this important knowledge gap in an Australian project that will advance world knowledge in this growing international research field. Findings will better focus Australia's approach to increasingly challenging transport futures.Read moreRead less
New Technologies for Second Generation Search and Rescue. This project aims to improve the Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue system to ensure faster, more reliable, more accurate, and more cost-effective search and rescue operations, ultimately saving lives. The satellite-based Cospas-Sarsat system has assisted with the emergency rescue of more than 35 000 lives worldwide since its introduction in 1982. A second generation of this system is currently under development, promising to significantly i ....New Technologies for Second Generation Search and Rescue. This project aims to improve the Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue system to ensure faster, more reliable, more accurate, and more cost-effective search and rescue operations, ultimately saving lives. The satellite-based Cospas-Sarsat system has assisted with the emergency rescue of more than 35 000 lives worldwide since its introduction in 1982. A second generation of this system is currently under development, promising to significantly improve detection rate and localisation accuracy. However, in an emergency, the system’s performance is often compromised due to interference and atmospheric effects, leading to false detections that waste valuable resources. This project aims to develop novel techniques to improve this performance.Read moreRead less
Socio-psychological factors and compliance with work health and safety regulation – theory, policy and practice. This project will examine and provide an account of the relationship between socio-psychological factors (knowledge, motivations, attitudes, perceptions and norms), and procedural and substantive compliance with work health and safety regulation and lead the way in reducing workplace injuries through improving regulatory effectiveness.