Story by Fiona Killman
Associate Professor Hai Vu with Andrew Wall, Manager Network Operations at VicRoads Photo: Eamon Gallagher
Traffic managers across Australia are under constant pressure to ensure roads run efficiently as the growing population increases traffic congestion. This is why the Victorian Road Authority, VicRoads, is working with Swinburne to implement an intelligent transport system for Melbourne.
“There is a lot more traffic on the road network, especially in the inner and middle parts of Melbourne,” Andrew Wall, Manager Network Operations at VicRoads says. “There is no more space to build our way out of the problem, so we have got to be smarter about how we use our existing roads. This involves the use of intelligent transport systems to give priority to transport that moves more people, and encourages drivers to make different choices about how they travel.”
To develop the system, Swinburne and VicRoads launched Victoria’s first dedicated traffic analysis research centre in April. Researchers at the Swinburne Intelligent Transport Systems Laboratory, based at the Hawthorn campus, will analyse live traffic data to develop new technology and algorithms to help improve traffic flow and make the journey safer for drivers by reducing collisions and managing disruptions.
Better informed, better managed trafficWall says the Swinburne team will receive data from every signalised intersection in Melbourne. “By partnering with academia we open up opportunities for more research that not only assists us to better manage the roads and make use of the wealth of data we collect, but also provides fantastic learning opportunities for students and researchers,” he says.
Head of the laboratory, Associate Professor Hai Vu, from Swinburne’s Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies, says advancements in technology enabling better access to more accurate, real-time information, inspired him to look into intelligent transport systems and approach VicRoads.
“I live in Melbourne and like many other big cities, traffic congestion has a huge impact on social and economic activities – not to mention how frustrating it can be for drivers. I see the opportunity where understanding how and when congestion occurs from traffic data can help to improve the situation. This is the idea underpinning this exciting new partnership,” he says.
“We can apply information and knowledge gained from traffic data to better utilise and manage our road infrastructure, and Swinburne has a lot of research activities and expertise in this area,” he says.
Rethinking transport systemsThe Swinburne team brings to the project extensive research expertise in networks and data communication, artificial intelligence and knowledge of data intensive systems, their management and control. The team also has expertise in sustainable infrastructure and transportation.
Associate Professor Vu says the laboratory will collaborate with Australian and international universities, including the University of Queensland, University of Melbourne and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. This will form partnerships with other leading researchers tackling this difficult problem and leverage the experience of similar initiatives overseas such as the co-operative traffic management centre in the Netherlands.
Wall says the initial role of VicRoads is to provide access to data and the traffic signal system; however, they plan to work with researchers in the near future to identify problems and solutions to improve traffic flow and reduce collisions and incidents.
“The university researchers have a lot of different skills and can bring completely different ways of thinking,” he says.
The driver experience“What people value is reliability,” Wall says. “If it generally takes a driver 20 minutes to get to work, we want it to consistently take 20 minutes.”
Intelligent transport systems aim to deliver more consistent and safer travel through improved traffic management, increased use of public transport and new technology. In the short term, this will mean changes to traffic signal timing in hot spots, as well as other strategies to improve traffic flow and ensure less disruption to public transport.
In the future, improved navigation systems could provide drivers with optimal turn-by-turn guidance based on live information about traffic congestion and incidents on their travel path. On-board technology could also identify when a driver is stressed or fatigued.
Under an intelligent transport system, communication between vehicles – an area Associate Professor Vu has been researching for some time – has the potential to reduce collisions and fatalities on the road by warning surrounding vehicles about sudden braking or other problems, so drivers can react faster.
“My vision is a transportation system where we can have cars, trains, buses and trams all connected, sharing information and interacting with people. It’s all part of a future digital society,” Associate Professor Vu says.
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A Curtin University researcher who developed a technique to detect transformer faults responsible for power outages is the winner of the 2012 Curtin Commercial Innovation Awards.
Dr Ahmed Abu-Siada has created a software-based technique that creates an image of how the transformer should be functioning, and then detects faults in real-time without disrupting the supply of power.
Director of Curtin’s Office of IP Commercialisation, Rohan McDougall, said transformers are a vital piece of electricity infrastructure, and transformer failures can be catastrophic, leading to explosions, fires and power outages, making this a critical innovation.
“When a major fault occurs on an in-service transformer, the results can be far-reaching, requiring costly repairs, causing environmental damage and resulting in potential for serious injury – the costs can run into millions of dollars,” he said.
“But this technique created by Dr Abu-Siada is able to identify the type of fault, and even issue an early warning signal, causing minimal disruption to electricity supply and end users.”
The real advantage to the technique is its ability to be applied every 20 milliseconds to immediately detect changes to the transformer. It uses algorithms to provide a visual output to the service technician, who can then identify the faulty transformer and know the fault type they are dealing with before fixing it.
Curtin is currently looking at opportunities to develop commercial relationships to further develop and implement this unique technology.
Professor Xiangyu Wang was named runner-up for developing an integrated system for the iPad and other handheld devices, to solve significant time and cost issues in mega construction projects. The system works by intelligently extracting information from a variety of sources and putting it in the hands of the worker, in situ.
The Early Research Career Award was presented to a PhD student, Chiragkumar Desai, who developed a mini-emulsion method for drug delivery, which improves the bioavailability and safety profile of drugs.
The Awards were established in 2007 and aim to identify new technologies, products or services arising from research at Curtin, with prizes for this year totalling more than $40,000 in cash and in commercialisation services provided by the award’s sponsors.
Curtin’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development, Professor Graeme Wright, said the winning technology was a fine example of the University’s high level, industry-relevant research and focus on providing a range of practical solutions to community needs.
“Dr Ahmed Abu-Siada is well deserving of this award and the detection of faults in power transformers is a great example of the commercial potential coming out of Curtin,” Professor Wright said.
“All of our finalists and winners at today’s Awards demonstrate the University’s strength in this area and should be commended for their achievements. In the years to come, we will see many more fine examples of products and solutions that offer real commercial potential and provide significant benefits to the community.
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Curtin University will bring the exciting world of high-tech fashion to life in a free one-off parade to launch its new Fashion Design and Research Hub.
The parade, Techno Fashion, is part of Perth Fashion Festival. It will be held at 3pm on Thursday 20 September at STM Fashion Central in Forrest Place in the unique Inflate Air Cube, an air filled eco-cube, which is making its first appearance as part of the Festival this year.
Anne Farren, Curtin University School of Design and Art Lecturer said the creations would showcase the new technology the University and local fashion industry now had at its fingertips, and challenge the way people thought about garments and how they were constructed.
“Just as technology has shaped the way we communicate and socialise with one another, so too has it shaped the future of fashion, with specialist machinery now able to assist in the conception, design and construction of garments,” Ms Farren said.
“Techno Fashion will have a high-tech and sustainable-tech focus, showcasing the possibilities of what can be created in the Hub, while also exploring traditional techniques and their relevance to contemporary design.
“As well as linking into national research the Hub will service the local WA fashion industry and allow designers and other users to access the revolutionary Shima Seiki WholeGarment® Knitting System, which produces knitwear in one entire piece, three-dimensionally, directly on the knitting machine, laser cutting facilities and a body scanner, to create more comfortable garments.
“The research that we’re doing tries to integrate technologies and recognise the value of not just new technologies, but those that have gone before, so we can move things forward taking the best of both worlds.”
The Fashion Design and Research Hub, only the second Hub of its kind in Australia, came out of a national initiative and will link in with the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia.
It will operate on a user-pays system and will also be available for use by Curtin design students.
Perth Fashion Festival runs 19 – 25 September and is supported by the Western Australian State Government through Eventscorp, the Department of Culture and the Arts and the City of Perth.
For further information regarding PFF 2012 program of visit www.perthfashionfestival.com.au
information by : CURTIN UNIVERISTY
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics director Professor Bryan Gaensler will explain some of the amazing discoveries we are making about the Universe.
Date: Tuesday 18 September 2012
Time: 6:45pm for 7pm start. Lecture: 7pm to 8pm
Venue: Tim Winton Lecture Theatre, Building 213, Bentley campusRSVP: This event is free but seats are limited, so please RSVP by
14 September to curtinspeakerpublic.eventbrite.com.au. If you have any special requirements to enable you to attend this event please advise prior to the event. For more, see the Disability at Curtin website.
About the lecture
Ever since Galileo first turned a telescope to the sky, the push has been to build telescopes that reveal ever more detail. But despite all the many discoveries astronomers have made over the centuries, there are still fundamental unsolved problems about the Cosmos.
- How has the universe evolved from the Big Bang to the present day?
- What is the extreme physics that drives the sudden changes we see in the night sky?
- What are the dark energy and dark matter that make up 95 per cent of the Universe?
Professor Gaensler will describe the exciting technology that is taking shape across Australia, and will explain the amazing discoveries that we are making about the Universe through this bold new approach.
About the speaker
Professor Bryan Gaensler is an award-winning astronomer and author, internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work on dying stars, interstellar magnets and cosmic explosions. A former Young Australian of the Year, NASA Hubble Fellow and Harvard professor, Professor Gaensler is now an Australian Laureate Fellow at The University of Sydney, and Director of the Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics. His popular astronomy book Extreme Cosmos was published worldwide in July 2012, and is now being translated into nine other languages
Information by : CURTIN UNIVERISTY
