Swinburne Magazine (2008, Issue 4)

ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2008 Tales from the high-rise P8 Universe found to be twice as bright P17 MASTER Laser ‘tweezers’ for extra delicate diagnosis GU swinburne DECEMBER 2008 6 8 10 DEFECTS DETECTED TALES FROM SERVICES GET Contents IN THE blINK OF THE HIGH-RISE SMARTENED UP ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2008 A ‘MECHANICAL EYE’ ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2008 Tales from the high-rise P8 Universe found to be twice as bright P17 MASTER Laser ‘tweezers’ for extra delicate diagnosis Swin_0812_p01.indd 1 GU19/11/08 3:31:17 PM COVER STORY FEATURES 03 BIRD BEHAVIOUR INSPIRES 12 SKIllS SHORTAGE CREATES 18 RESEARCHERS 04 Medical diagnosis at a pinch FIRE-SPOTTING plAN INCREASED DEMAND FOR ENGINEER AUSTRALIA Laser beams are already used to manipulate and ROBIN TAYLOR JOB-READY GRADUATES FOR EARTHQUAKES UPFRONT study red blood cells. Now Swinburne scientists The first wide-ranging study Just how well a type of building have taken their research into the nano-realm 06 DEFECTS DETECTED of work-integrated learning in common in Australia and Asia IN THE blINK OF Australia has been completed performs in low to moderate and are planning to shed laser light on single A ‘MECHANICAL EYE’ and reveals the benefits and earthquakes is being investigated 2 molecules Using techniques such as vision, challenges of this widespread through a collaborative research PENNY FANNIN the next generation of inspection approach to university teaching project systems could help Australian PENNY FANNIN REBECCA THYER manufacturers improve quality and thereby their competitiveness 14 lEARNING 20 THE CAll TO in the world market ON THE JOB MAKING WINE REBECCA THYER Gone are the days when university With a distinctive outlook on life, students sat sponge-like in civil engineer Stephen Graham 08 TALES FROM lecture theatres absorbing the paves a way into wine-making – THE HIGH-RISE words spoken at them. Career one of several Swinburne alumni ROBIN TAYLOR assistance, work placements and making a name for themselves in an array of electives designed to the quest for the perfect bouquet 09 MOBILE INTERNET improve generic work skills are GIO BRAIDOTTI FINDS NEW MEANING making today’s students more DAVID ADAMS job-ready than ever 22 Of WINDS PENNY FANNIN AND WAVES 10 SERVICES GET A shallow lake north of SMARTENED UP 17 THE SHINING: Canberra is the site of research Customers will soon have a ASTRONOMERS FIND investigating how extreme winds bigger say in how they can OUR UNIVERSE IS generate monster waves in the access services, particularly TWICE AS BRIGHT open ocean online services. It’s all part of a JULIAN CRIBB GRAEME O’NEILL new field of technology known as smart services JULIAN CRIBB nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn Published by SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY collects and uses your information in accordance with our Editor: Dorothy Albrecht, Director, Marketing Services Privacy Statement, which can be found at: www.swinburne.edu.au/privacy. Deputy editor: Julianne Camerotto, Communications Manager If you do not wish to receive communications from us, you can email [email protected], (Research and Industry), Marketing Services fax (03) 9214 8447, or write to SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Privacy at Swinburne, SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Melbourne PO Box 218, Hawthorn VIC 3122. The information contained in this publication was correct at the time of going to press, December 2008. Written, edited, designed and produced on behalf of SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY CRICOS provider Code 00111D OF TECHNOLOGY by CORETEXT, www.coretext.com.au, 03 9670 1168 ISSN 1835-6516 (Print) ISSN 1835-6524 (Online) Enquiries: 1300 MY SWIN (1300 697 946) Website: www.swinburne.edu.au/magazine Email: [email protected] Cover photo: Paul Jones DECEMBER 2008 swinburne BIRD BEHavIOUR INSPIRES fire-spotting plan STORY BY Robin Taylor AS BUSHFIRES RAGED across California in October 2007, Professor Tim Hendtlass INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS was attracting a great deal of attention on the other side of the US, where he was describing to conference delegates how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could be deployed in large numbers to monitor remote and inaccessible terrain for fires. In Australia, bushfires destroy 100,000 hectares of forest and pasture each year and take the lives of many people and countless animals. Many fires start as a result of lightning strikes in remote areas, where they may burn undetected until they have caused vast damage and are almost impossible to control. The fires in 2003 that devastated large areas of north-east Victoria and the NSW Snowy Mountains, and descended on 3 Canberra – destroying hundreds of houses and claiming four lives – arose from bushfires that had been burning for weeks in the Namadgi National Park to the south and west of Canberra. It is situations such as this that Professor Hendtlass, director of the Complex COLLIS EVAN PHOTO: Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Swinburne University of Technology, along with PhD point. “Could we invert the algorithm so that ‘work it out for themselves’. researcher David Howden envisage could instead of converging when searching they ,, “The process of sharing map information be monitored by using swarms of unmanned spread out?” was the question they posed. The process of between two UAVs that come close is spotter planes to search for fires. Professor Hendtlass says terrain is sharing map the key to making the independent UAVs They decided to use an approach known divided into a grid, with each grid square a information work as a dynamic team and enables a as collective intelligence to address the monitoring point. “Some monitoring points between two few cooperating UAVs to do work that question of how to control a number of need to be surveyed more often than others UAVs that come would take a much greater number of fully UAVs and their searching patterns. because they are more fire-prone. Lakes for close is the key independent UAVs to do,” he says. “That’s Professor Hendtlass is interested in using example rarely, if ever, need to be monitored, to making the where the collective intelligence comes in.” ideas from biology. “Nature has found while dry, bush-filled gullies in high independent Researchers are at the simulation stage some very efficient ways to do things and lightning-strike areas need to be surveyed UAVs work as a and have already written the algorithm that I’m interested in seeing if we can replicate frequently. Our aim is to survey all the points dynamic team could be developed into a software program this work in applying it to common human (every grid square) as close to the desired … that’s where for use by fire management agencies and problems,” he says. frequency as possible.” the collective which, with a little further development, will For example, researchers have modelled Their model also considers what happens intelligence soon be ready for commercialisation. the foraging behaviour of flocks of birds if two UAVs come within a certain distance comes in.” In the meantime, Mr Howden is working – the way they weave, search and share of each other and ensures they experience a Professor Tim on how to get the information back from the information to converge on promising food force that makes them diverge. Hendtlass UAVs to a central point and investigating sources – and created algorithims to describe Professor Hendtlass explains how each real data about fire spread to include in the this pattern. UAV has its own map of an area, which program. nn Rather than birds, or planes, converging it uses to make decisions about what on a point, Professor Hendtlass and to do next. Although central control of CONTACT. Mr Howden are interested in describing UAVs is feasible in the lab, in real terrain Swinburne on 1300 MY SWIN (1300 697 946) the opposite behaviour: where a swarm communications may be too unreliable for www.swinburne.edu.au/magazine of individuals (the UAVs) disperse from a this to be effective so the UAVs have to [email protected] swinburne DECEMBER 2008 Medical diagnosis at a pinch S ICRO-PHOTONIC M 4 Laser beams are already used to manipulate and study red blood cells. Now Swinburne scientists have taken their research into the nano-realm and are planning to shed laser light on single molecules BY PEnnY FAnnIN SUSPENDED IN MID-AIR, a solitary red blood less light but more dexterity. The technology this recoiling force won’t have much effect.” cell is rotated, stretched and folded in half. has tremendous potential for medical But if the object is tiny, say one micrometre, Then the light goes out. In darkness, the cell diagnosis. the force is large enough to move the object. resumes its disc-like shape. But with the The centre’s director Professor Min Gu This phenomenon can be particularly light back on, the cell is again subjected to and Associate Professor Xiaosong Gan are well observed when an intense light such as forces that change its shape. leading a team that recently became the first a laser shines through a transparent sphere. The forces that are able to have such a in the world to demonstrate ‘near field’ laser When this occurs the light is refracted to profound effect on these tiny human cells are tweezers. Yet, to understand the significance one side, exerting a very slight force, which produced by laser beams. And the manipulation of this achievement it is important to know tends to push the sphere in the opposite is possible using delicate laser ‘tweezers’.

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