Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing ....Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing nonlinear control strategies. The expected outcomes will include new system and control theories, concepts, principles and technologies in controller design that can provide reliable flight control for bio-inspired, flapping-wing systems.Read moreRead less
Advanced protective coatings for thermal energy management devices. This project aims to develop new nanomaterial coatings and advanced plasma coating technology to address the global issue of e-waste caused by short lifespan thermal energy management devices (TEMDs) used in energy (solar, wind, oil), transport (aerospace, automotive, marine) and industrial (manufacturing, mining) sectors. The project expects to overcome issues of erosion and corrosion of TEMDs and toxic coating methods by devel ....Advanced protective coatings for thermal energy management devices. This project aims to develop new nanomaterial coatings and advanced plasma coating technology to address the global issue of e-waste caused by short lifespan thermal energy management devices (TEMDs) used in energy (solar, wind, oil), transport (aerospace, automotive, marine) and industrial (manufacturing, mining) sectors. The project expects to overcome issues of erosion and corrosion of TEMDs and toxic coating methods by developing new nanomaterial coatings and innovative plasma coating technology. This should provide significant benefits such as improved sustainability of TEMDs with improved corrosion resistance and durability, as well as new manufacturing products and processes that have far reaching economic benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Ultrathin Gold Nanocrystal Conductors for Wearable Epidermal Biofuel Cells. This project aims to fabricate ultrathin, soft yet stretchable gold nanocrystal conductors to push the thickness limit of next-generation soft bioelectrodes for fabrication of wearable epidermal biofuel cells. This will generate new knowledge and patentable technologies related to design/fabrication of soft nanocrystal conductors, bioanode and biocathode, which require to be thin, soft, conductive and biocompatible. Expe ....Ultrathin Gold Nanocrystal Conductors for Wearable Epidermal Biofuel Cells. This project aims to fabricate ultrathin, soft yet stretchable gold nanocrystal conductors to push the thickness limit of next-generation soft bioelectrodes for fabrication of wearable epidermal biofuel cells. This will generate new knowledge and patentable technologies related to design/fabrication of soft nanocrystal conductors, bioanode and biocathode, which require to be thin, soft, conductive and biocompatible. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced national capacity in disruptive wearable bioelectronics, strengthening international collaborations, unskilled workforce training, as well as advancement of Australian knowledge base in the fields of nanotechnology, materials science, energy, biosensors and bioelectronics.Read moreRead less
Human-Robot Co-Evolution: Achieving the full potential of future workplaces. Physical human-robot systems are widely used to amplify the capability of human labourers and improve ergonomics in the workplace. This project aims to develop robot controllers that shape the co-evolution of these systems. Through physical human-robot interaction studies it will generate new knowledge of how humans adapt to working with robots, which will then be incorporated into the robot controller design. Expected ....Human-Robot Co-Evolution: Achieving the full potential of future workplaces. Physical human-robot systems are widely used to amplify the capability of human labourers and improve ergonomics in the workplace. This project aims to develop robot controllers that shape the co-evolution of these systems. Through physical human-robot interaction studies it will generate new knowledge of how humans adapt to working with robots, which will then be incorporated into the robot controller design. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of human adaptation and a systematic approach to shaping human-robot interaction over time. This should provide significant benefits across different skill and labour-intensive industries in Australia, such as improved worker productivity and safer human-robot collaboration.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired photoreceptor and smart neural mimicking technologies. The project aims to address fundamental questions regarding bioinspired artificial photoreceptors and neural-mimicking technologies that precisely mimic light capture abilities of photoreceptors, processing of retinal ganglion cells and functionalities in neurons. This is expected to generate new fundamental and applied knowledge in bioengineered optoelectronic systems. Expected outcomes of the project include new materials with ....Bioinspired photoreceptor and smart neural mimicking technologies. The project aims to address fundamental questions regarding bioinspired artificial photoreceptors and neural-mimicking technologies that precisely mimic light capture abilities of photoreceptors, processing of retinal ganglion cells and functionalities in neurons. This is expected to generate new fundamental and applied knowledge in bioengineered optoelectronic systems. Expected outcomes of the project include new materials with tailored properties at an atomic level for dynamic control of current under different light stimulus wavelengths. This should provide significant benefits such as new advanced materials driven smart architectures that overcome limitations of solid-state systems for next generation of smart technologies. Read moreRead less
Design of 2D Soft Plasmonic Photocatalysts for Artificial Leaves. The project aims to fabricate 2D soft plasmonic photocatalysts with leaf-like structures and functions for solar-to chemical energy conversions. The proposed 2D photocatalysts expect to change the traditional way of designing artificial photocatalysts. Expected outcomes of this project include fabrication of 2D soft plasmonic photocatalyst with large-area, ultrathin thickness, and high flexibility, understanding their plasmon-enha ....Design of 2D Soft Plasmonic Photocatalysts for Artificial Leaves. The project aims to fabricate 2D soft plasmonic photocatalysts with leaf-like structures and functions for solar-to chemical energy conversions. The proposed 2D photocatalysts expect to change the traditional way of designing artificial photocatalysts. Expected outcomes of this project include fabrication of 2D soft plasmonic photocatalyst with large-area, ultrathin thickness, and high flexibility, understanding their plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis mechanisms, and construction of artificial leaves to perform the solar-to-chemical conversions, which can provide significant benefits, such as creating new-generation of soft energy devices and advancing Australian expertise in photochemistry, self-assembly, and functional nanomaterials.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. This Centre aims to explore the society wide transformations that will flow from optical frequency combs - thousands of highly pure light signals precisely spaced across the entire optical spectrum - by leveraging and building upon the latest breakthroughs in physics, materials science and nanofabrication. It expects to generate a wide new base of know ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. This Centre aims to explore the society wide transformations that will flow from optical frequency combs - thousands of highly pure light signals precisely spaced across the entire optical spectrum - by leveraging and building upon the latest breakthroughs in physics, materials science and nanofabrication. It expects to generate a wide new base of knowledge in fields as diverse as astronomy, spectroscopy, chemical sensors, and precision measurement. Expected outcomes include the capability to realise complete comb systems on a chip the size of a fingernail, tailored to specific applications, with significant benefits spanning from imaging live cells to autonomous vehicles, satellite communications, and the search for exoplanets.Read moreRead less
Muscle-based Signals for Responsive Physically-Assistive Robotics. This project aims to develop a physically assistive robot for industrial use that interprets signals from the human user’s muscles during a physical activity and responds with appropriate assistance. This is significant because the robot must accommodate the complexity of movement required in industrial settings and adapt to variabilities in muscle activation signals among users that also change in time. The expected research out ....Muscle-based Signals for Responsive Physically-Assistive Robotics. This project aims to develop a physically assistive robot for industrial use that interprets signals from the human user’s muscles during a physical activity and responds with appropriate assistance. This is significant because the robot must accommodate the complexity of movement required in industrial settings and adapt to variabilities in muscle activation signals among users that also change in time. The expected research outcome is an intuitive, assistive robot worn by the human workforce that enhances their productivity and longevity, improves working conditions, lowers production costs, and increases workforce resilience. The robot’s capabilities will be demonstrated in this project through the challenging activity of sheep shearing.Read moreRead less
Towards highly-efficient hydrogen gas turbines. The increasing interest in green hydrogen has led to a need for research and development in combustion systems that can accommodate hydrogen. One promising technology is low-emission gas turbines, which is a key player in the electricity market. However, hydrogen gas turbines are susceptible to a phenomenon called thermoacoustic instability, causing loud noise and can damage equipment. This project represents the first comprehensive study of the ef ....Towards highly-efficient hydrogen gas turbines. The increasing interest in green hydrogen has led to a need for research and development in combustion systems that can accommodate hydrogen. One promising technology is low-emission gas turbines, which is a key player in the electricity market. However, hydrogen gas turbines are susceptible to a phenomenon called thermoacoustic instability, causing loud noise and can damage equipment. This project represents the first comprehensive study of the effects of hydrogen fuel on thermoacoustic instability under conditions relevant to gas turbines. By examining low-order models, commonly used for designing gas turbines, this project can significantly advance the field and facilitate the adoption of green hydrogen as a fuel source.Read moreRead less