Researchers collaborate to keep Australia’s defence forces safe
Novel biosensors and robot swarm systems for the detection of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear environments were just some of the unique capabilities presented at a symposium co-hosted by the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) and the Centre for Advanced Defence Research & Enterprise (CADRE-OCE) at UNSW last week.
The symposium looked at how Australian Defence forces could respond faster and more flexibly to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
CADRE-OCE is a joint initiative of the Australian Defence’s STaR Shots program with the University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, Queensland University of Technology and University of New South Wales.
Its purpose is to develop novel innovative technologies that counter existing, new and emerging chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.
The NSSN partnered with CADRE to host the joint symposium exploring the technological opportunities at the intersection of smart sensing which could counter CBRN threats.
It was attended by more than 30 industry representatives, university researchers and members of the Defence, Science and Technology Group (DSTG).
“Bringing together the insight and knowledge of the CADRE team and the DST Group at the symposium meant discussions were aligned to the outcomes being sought by Defence,” NSSN Business Development Manager Laura Earl said.
“Due to the current funding landscape, focussing on dual-use technology will not only solve problems for multiple industries, but increases market opportunity, meaning investments stretch further. Approaching challenges with a mind-set of dual use creates competitive advantage for Australia. We have phenomenal research being undertaken in NSW and events like this allow universities and industry to workshop how to progress the technology, so it has end-user application.”
NSSN Business Development Manager Laura Earl
The Science, Technology & Innovation Lead at OCE STaR Shots, Dr Nicholas FitzGerald, described two key aims of the defence program: ACCESS (Active Collaborative CBRN Environmental Sense and Sense-making System) and HISS (Human Integrated Sensor Systems).
ACCESS was about “how to deploy low-cost sensing and how to make sense of those that are deployed”, and HISS involved “a human integrated system which aims to turn the human into a sensor to get an indication of an incursion of biochemical threats”.
There were many dual use opportunities for sensing technologies in the areas such as agriculture, mining, biosecurity, bushfire prevention and national security, which meant bigger markets for industry partners, Dr FitzGerald said.
“Our ambition outstrips our resources, so we need to think in an entrepreneurial manner, and we need to select strategically what we invest in,” he said.
Science, Technology & Innovation Lead at OCE STaR Shots, Dr Nicholas FitzGerald (left) and Chair of the SABRE Alliance, Mark Hutchinson (right).
The mission of the Safeguarding Australian through Biotechnology Response and Engagement (SABRE) Alliance is to leverage and grow capability from the biotechnology research and development ecosystem to prepare for future threats such as foot and mouth.
“To put this in context…last year NATO released a very interesting report…where they identified that the risk of naturally occurring or accidental biological threat was equivalent to that of a weapons of mass destruction deliberation,” Chair of the SABRE Alliance, Mark Hutchinson told the symposium.
“Which makes people sit up and realise that perhaps the front line that what we are dealing with, which has previously been considered in the Australian context at least somewhere off our shores, actually impacts at the farm gate.”
He said the advantage of the SABRE Alliance was that it allowed engagement outside of Defence to address key concerns around biotechnology to bring about a rapid, deployable solution.
UNSW Scientia Professor and Co-Founder of CADRE, Professor Ewa Goldys, said there is a wealth of research expertise across the NSSN that applies to the mission of CADRE.
“There is a lot of information technology involved. There is potential for mechanical engineering as well… I would like to make the connections between those different points,” she said.
UNSW Scientia Professor and Co-Founder of CADRE, Professor Ewa Goldys (left) and CADRE-OCE Director and Enterprise Professor at the University of Melbourne, Jia-Yee Lee (right).
CADRE-OCE Director and Enterprise Professor at the University of Melbourne, Jia-Yee Lee said CADRE was all about research and partnerships.
“There is no one institution that actually has the critical mass of capabilities to drive innovation that meets a range of defence needs, particularly in this context,” Professor Jia-Yee said.
She said CADRE also wanted to engage internationally, giving the examples of NATO and the AUKUS Pillars 1 and 2.
The symposium was the latest event in a series of national capability showcases which are highlighting programs, capabilities, facilities and activities to explore areas for collaboration in OCE STaR Shots priority programs.
Fourteen researchers from across NSW Smart Sensing Network member universities including Western Sydney University, University of Newcastle, UTS, University of Sydney, Macquarie University and UNSW gave presentations about the capabilities of their research and how this could be deployed by CADRE.
Dr Aya Hussein from UNSW Canberra School of Systems and Computing discussed how their robot swarm system can be used for the monitoring and detection of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear environments, as a remotely deployable chemical threat detection system.
A simulator that can identify and forecast contaminated regions and account for wind conditions, obstacles and sensor uncertainty was described by Dr Artem Lensky from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney.
Dr Yu-Kai Wang from UTS discussed the use of wearable physiological signal processing which uses edge-AI approaches for rapid and precise data analytics.
An advanced LiDAR Ultraviolet Laser Induced Fluorescence system called OSPREY which can detect biological agents more than 10 kilometres away was described by Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi from the University of Newcastle’s College of Engineering, Science & Environment.
A/Prof. Bahman Javadi from the School of Computer Data and Mathematical Sciences Smart and Distributed Computing Lab at Western Sydney University described the lab’s experience in distributed and large-scale computing systems with applications in health, smart cities and space.
Professor Mohsen Asadnia from Macquarie University’s School of Engineering discussed his team’s expertise in the development of chemical and gas sensors for the detection of contaminants in water and air.