The second of the three little pigs built his house out of wood and although in the fairy tale the wolf blew it down, the head of UniSA’s Zero Waste Research Centre – Professor Steffen Lehmann says piggy number two, may have been onto something. Using more sustainable materials such as timber in city building… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Engineering, Arch & IT
Research aids nasal drug delivery
RMIT University researchers have developed computer models to design more effective nasal sprays to provide alternate drug delivery to needles or pills. The models explore deep into the human respiratory airway and focus on particle inhalation, allowing researchers to understand how particles move through the nasal cavity and where they deposit. The models allow for… Continue Reading
New power source discovered
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation. The power generated relative to the energy source size is three to four times greater than what is currently possible with the best lithium-ion batteries. Professor Joel Schindall of MIT explains nanotube power generation… Continue Reading
Machine to human: I know you
A dot-sized part of a face may soon be all that is needed to identify a person, according to a face recognition expert at The University of Western Australia. Ground-breaking research by Associate Professor Ajmal Mian is investigating how to use satellite technology to identify facial features that lie under the skin. “Multi-spectral imaging can… Continue Reading
Improving flood planning
While you can’t control Mother Nature, you can take precautions to prepare for her worst offerings. At the Water Research Laboratory in Sydney, University of New South Wales engineers are exploring the dynamics of floodwaters using a unique physical model to help minimise potential damage and keep communities safe. Using the 2007 floods in Newcastle… Continue Reading
Cutting our carbon footprint
Roofing materials that double as solar panels and can also moderate the temperature of buildings are among the next-generation building products being developed at UNSW. A prototype of a photovoltaic/thermal system has already demonstrated that it can produce warm air at 25 degrees throughout winter. The technology, developed by UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable… Continue Reading
Flinders to link companies with nanotech’s potential
Flinders University’s Centre for Nanoscale Science and Technology is launching NanoConnect, a pilot program to demonstrate to businesses how nanotechnology could help improve their products and processes. Professor David Lewis, the Centre’s Director, said NanoConnect is intended to introduce companies to the benefits of the latest technology research, which has potential applications for new products… Continue Reading
UOW researchers develop ‘bullet proof’ graphene
UOW researchers have used graphene to develop a new composite material which can produce the toughest fibres to date- even tougher than spider silk and Kevlar! Graphene, the latest discovery in the nano world of carbon, has proven to be an amazing building block for advanced materials. The new graphene composite can be wet-spun into… Continue Reading
New breed of electron interactions in quantum systems
Physicists at the University of New South Wales have observed a new kind of interaction that can arise between electrons in a single-atom silicon transistor. The findings, published this week in the journal Physical Review Letters, offer a more complete understanding of the mechanisms for electron transport in nanostructures at the atomic level. “We have… Continue Reading
White roofs to make for cooler Melbourne buildings
New research launched by the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne will give buildings owners across Melbourne access to information that can help their buildings absorb less heat and stay cooler during hot days. The research assesses the benefits of white roofs and aims to help residential, commercial and industrial building owners determine if white… Continue Reading
Broadband research by CSU Ironman graduate
New research into the adoption of high-speed broadband by Australian households has found four key factors influence the decision to adopt the technology. The research by Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate Dr Peter Adams was the first study to identify purchase complexity as a factor in household technology adoption. His research also found lifestyle issues were… Continue Reading
New application makes supercomputing simple
A new open source application developed at Murdoch University is giving researchers a revolutionary new way of accessing supercomputers. Yabi simplifies supercomputing tasks through a simple web-based workflow environment, essentially replacing the need for complex software programming with a neat, accessible interface.
