Our key areas of innovation
An increasingly complex global security landscape demands new innovations that ensure the safety of on-ground personnel and broaden the capabilities of defence forces. Our research teams are leading the pursuit, with future-focused solutions born out of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to research.
Robotics and autonomous systems
Research areas:
- intelligent automation via fusion of sensors, machine learning and robotics that enable research for land and aerial vehicles
- diverse robotics solutions including the OzBot platform, Universal Motion Simulator (UMS), HeroSurg, Haptiscan and associated haptic patented technologies
- autonomous navigation
- obstacle avoidance technologies
- high energy density, lightweight batteries for autonomous systems
Materials, manufacturing and energy
Research areas:
- novel lightweight tough materials, high wear-resistant materials, new steel, aluminium, titanium, and super alloys, customisation of carbon fibre properties
- latest flexible and adaptive manufacturing processes (including Additive Manufacturing) for prototyping and production
- cutting-edge digital manufacturing capability, applying and deploying Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing environment methodologies (including Industrial Internet of Things) to enhance manufacturing and global supply chain processes
- innovative, unique battery technologies (Battery Hub) across a range of battery types, including the defence battery technology electrolyte research program
- machine learning algorithms to profile battery usage and estimate state of charge
Future logistics
Research areas:
- workforce and cultural change to develop skills and capability for future battle scenarios, such as prototype warfare
- scenario planning underpinned the first Australian Supply Chain and Freight Logistics Strategy
- defence force supply chain reengineering, origin-destination studies for each Australian container port, national and international multimodal logistics and end-to-end supply chain traceability
- Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) for predictions of land, sea and air vehicle maintenance
- situation awareness technology such as people re-identification and tracking across multiple CCTV views, biometrics, device fingerprinting, abnormal activity detection and recognition, fake news detection and scene analysis
- industrial engineering, operations research, logistics, data science, decision science, and fuzzy systems to complement custom optimised solutions to logistics problems and complex systems
Emerging technologies
Research areas:
- embedded systems engineering for unmanned aerial vehicles, electric vehicles, health, electrochemistry and more
- enhanced ability to detect and protect against malicious cyber-attacks that rely on the co-optation of legitimate mobile device recovery software that is often used to protect assets should they be lost or stolen
- enhanced battlespace awareness and active real-time monitoring, coupled with real-time analysis, modelling and decision support to reduce potential harm while improving outcomes
- AI and RAS combined technologies that enable uniquely versatile and precise platforms that lead to better decision-making systems
Safeguarding communities: Understanding local contexts, peacebuilding, countering violent extremism and the legal conduct of war
Research areas and training capabilities:
- using expert knowledge in international relations, civil wars, social movements, local civil society and violent religious extremism for establishing regional security, peacekeeping efforts and the prevention of further conflict in regions such as South East Asia and the Middle East
- understanding the role of heritage in conflict and terrorism in order to prevent its destruction during conflict and its uses for peace-building purposes
- the law of armed conflict/war and the prevention of human rights abuses during conflict
- developing counter-terrorism and violent extremism measures by building resilience as a counteraction to alienation
- cybersecurity issues in relation to counterterrorism, cybersecurity strategy and the law
- Humanitarian Leadership and Development in post-conflict situations
*Photo: © Christopher Herwig
Health, wellbeing, and performance
Research areas:
- soldier performance management: monitoring and modelling of load, adaptation and performance
- physical training, cognitive function, and dietary supplements to optimise performance during sleep deprivation
- understanding the female solider to optimise adaptations to physical training
- applied human research to understand, analyse and provide actionable insights by combining in-field (via wearable technologies) and laboratory based assessment of behavioural, physiological, physical and psychological factors
Contact us
If you’d like to learn more about our projects and how our research capabilities can benefit you, we’d love to hear from you.
(03) 5227 1352
defence@deakin.edu.au