High-speed bidirectional optical interconnects for board-to-board communications. The project will contribute directly to Australia's participation in various ICT industries through the development of innovative solutions and will increase the knowledge and skills base in silicon-photonics. The development of the proposed board-to-board high-speed optical interconnect prototypes will result in R&D outcomes well-matched to the needs and interests of Australian companies; this project will assist ....High-speed bidirectional optical interconnects for board-to-board communications. The project will contribute directly to Australia's participation in various ICT industries through the development of innovative solutions and will increase the knowledge and skills base in silicon-photonics. The development of the proposed board-to-board high-speed optical interconnect prototypes will result in R&D outcomes well-matched to the needs and interests of Australian companies; this project will assist Australia to capitalise on new technology and to become a significant player in the next ICT boom. This project will put Australia at the cutting edge of high-speed interconnect technology and will generate income through licensing the technology and the establishment of spin-off opportunities in both Australia and off-shore.Read moreRead less
Polymer optical fibres with controlled molecular orientation for photonic applications. The objective of the proposed research is to boost the advantage of Australian scientists and engineers working in the field of photonics by investigating new physical principles and new ways of fabricating specialty plastic optical fibres. Such fibres can be used in optical devices, to improve transmission and processing of signals in data communications, for improving efficient operation of power industry, ....Polymer optical fibres with controlled molecular orientation for photonic applications. The objective of the proposed research is to boost the advantage of Australian scientists and engineers working in the field of photonics by investigating new physical principles and new ways of fabricating specialty plastic optical fibres. Such fibres can be used in optical devices, to improve transmission and processing of signals in data communications, for improving efficient operation of power industry, in biophotonics.
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Photonic Antenna: Nested multi-band patch antenna and arrayed photonic interconnect. This project aims to investigate the design of a broadband ?photonic antenna? for airborne radar warning and electronic countermeasure systems. The project will investigate the development of a suite of printed antennas that cover bands in the range from 2-40 GHz realised on a single substrate. Nesting these antennas to reduce system size, and integration of this module with a custom optical modulator array and ....Photonic Antenna: Nested multi-band patch antenna and arrayed photonic interconnect. This project aims to investigate the design of a broadband ?photonic antenna? for airborne radar warning and electronic countermeasure systems. The project will investigate the development of a suite of printed antennas that cover bands in the range from 2-40 GHz realised on a single substrate. Nesting these antennas to reduce system size, and integration of this module with a custom optical modulator array and RF signal combiner will be investigated. The resulting broadband antenna suite with photonic interconnect will require minimal fabrication and packaging resources, and will thus be an economically viable photonic solution for practical defence systems.Read moreRead less
A Positioning System for Mobile Phones. This project aims to produce a positioning system that integrates a mobile phone-based technique developed in Australia, known as Seekerzone, with GPS. The combination of Seekerzone and GPS delivers a system capable of reporting whether children or valuables are in a safe location. As security becomes an increasing priority, this system can operate indoors or outdoors, and provides many solutions. Seekerzone has already attracted international interest, an ....A Positioning System for Mobile Phones. This project aims to produce a positioning system that integrates a mobile phone-based technique developed in Australia, known as Seekerzone, with GPS. The combination of Seekerzone and GPS delivers a system capable of reporting whether children or valuables are in a safe location. As security becomes an increasing priority, this system can operate indoors or outdoors, and provides many solutions. Seekerzone has already attracted international interest, and coupled with GPS, its applications and export opportunities will multiply. The target product will provide effective and convenient security, while its developemnt will provide important research training in Australia's drastically under-resourced spatial industry.Read moreRead less
The Interplay of Feedback Control and Digital Communications. This project deals with two research topics in digital communications and control. The first is concerned with feedback communications for control systems, aiming to develop new design methods for network-based automation and control. The second studies new decoding and detection algorithms for digital communications. Applications of the proposed research work include network-based industrial control, wireless communication devices, a ....The Interplay of Feedback Control and Digital Communications. This project deals with two research topics in digital communications and control. The first is concerned with feedback communications for control systems, aiming to develop new design methods for network-based automation and control. The second studies new decoding and detection algorithms for digital communications. Applications of the proposed research work include network-based industrial control, wireless communication devices, and high density digital storage media. The cross-fertilisation of control systems and digital communications will help strengthen Australia's research expertise in the National Research Priority area "Information and Communications Technology" (ICT). Read moreRead less
Mobile spatial-audio telecommunication systems. We will develop an inter-personal electronic spatial-audio telecommunication system that works outdoors in a mobile environment. Talkers using the system will be acoustically aware of other talkers? locations because the communication channel is rendered as 3D audio. The system provides situational awareness useful during activities such as fire fighting, search and rescue, surveillance, audio/video teleconferencing. The research investigates syste ....Mobile spatial-audio telecommunication systems. We will develop an inter-personal electronic spatial-audio telecommunication system that works outdoors in a mobile environment. Talkers using the system will be acoustically aware of other talkers? locations because the communication channel is rendered as 3D audio. The system provides situational awareness useful during activities such as fire fighting, search and rescue, surveillance, audio/video teleconferencing. The research investigates system implementations using wearable computing with personal location sensors (differential GPS) and personal orientation sensors (hybrid gyroscopic/magnetic system). The work will result in fundamental data relevant to the development, testing and validation of a mobile telecommunication system with individualised spatial audio.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
Designing an Intelligent Process Operation Management System. The complexity and sophistication of current generation of industrial processes, and the growing need for autonomous agents that control physical systems, motivate the need for the development of an intelligent process operation management system. In this project, the innovative integration of theories from different scientific fields (computer systems, process engineering, systems and control engineering) provides an excellent platfo ....Designing an Intelligent Process Operation Management System. The complexity and sophistication of current generation of industrial processes, and the growing need for autonomous agents that control physical systems, motivate the need for the development of an intelligent process operation management system. In this project, the innovative integration of theories from different scientific fields (computer systems, process engineering, systems and control engineering) provides an excellent platform for development of a smart data management tool, to oversee the major operational tasks within the plant and help the operators and engineers to make more informed decisions. Direct application of the techniques developed in this study to a pilot case study, could be used as a benchmark to show the potential benefits that can be gained through smart information use and data management.Read moreRead less
The mathematics and language of engineering uncertainty, preference and utility. Australian engineering firms are principals in many high-profile projects. To defend their position, they must demonstrate both sound engineering and quality processes, which by international standards includes the traceability of decisions. Yet, there are few tools to vet the multitude of decisions that go into large-scale engineering works. This project aims to form mathematical models of decision-making based on ....The mathematics and language of engineering uncertainty, preference and utility. Australian engineering firms are principals in many high-profile projects. To defend their position, they must demonstrate both sound engineering and quality processes, which by international standards includes the traceability of decisions. Yet, there are few tools to vet the multitude of decisions that go into large-scale engineering works. This project aims to form mathematical models of decision-making based on the language modelling of what is written in engineering documentation about the bases of decisions. The new methods will help decision makers to pinpoint irrationalities in decisions and notify them of possible errors. The research can therefore be applied to important problems in the engineering sector such as risk management.Read moreRead less
Application of Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) Technology to Intelligent Design Engineering Systems. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a systematic approach to the integration of design and manufacturing of products and their related processes, from concept to disposal. Typical for KBE applications is that it accepts design rules and procedures. This makes the design process more efficient, which reduces development cost and product lead time. It also enables knowledge and experience to be ....Application of Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) Technology to Intelligent Design Engineering Systems. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a systematic approach to the integration of design and manufacturing of products and their related processes, from concept to disposal. Typical for KBE applications is that it accepts design rules and procedures. This makes the design process more efficient, which reduces development cost and product lead time. It also enables knowledge and experience to be captured and retained which reduces training cost and makes new staff more effective. The aim of the project is to develop a KBE environment for wire and conduit routing through complex structures and verify the benefits in an industry environment.Read moreRead less