Bionics

New therapies to activate muscles with high temporal and spatial control offer a novel therapeutic approach to a wide range of clinical conditions that include poor muscle activation as a key problem. One such approach is optogenetic muscle activation techniques, which use a light stimulus to activate muscle cells that have had light-sensitive ion channels expressed in them.

Flexible robotic systems for effective diagnosis and treatment of various cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Wearable devices can enhance the human sense of touch and can be applied to rehabilitation and healthcare sectors, entertainment and defence.

Developing a better understanding of biological and nature-inspired materials; researching the impact of diseases like osteoporosis or diabetes on bone quality; and contributing to the design of advanced, damage-tolerant materials for use in prosthetic devices through characterisation, testing, and failure analysis over a wide range of naturally occurring environments.

Restoring missing sensory function following hand amputation is a challenge for prosthetic designers/engineers. This patented technology replicates the human sense of touch and could provide upper limb prosthetics of the future with a sense of friction and grip security, which is essential for dexterity.

The development of the optrode array chip: a stepping stone towards the next generation of high-density, implantable brain/machine interface.

Design of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and systems for biomedical implants.

Research activities, primarily focused on Bionics, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, that involve a wide range of biomedical engineering activities including biomechanics, orthopaedics, laser micro-manufacturing, bioinstrumentation, electronic chip design, wireless sensor networks, advanced microscopy, neurophysiology, electrophysiology, and in vitro and in vivo experimentation.

Through rational material design and structural engineering, a range of wearable sensor systems—with high sensitivity, stretchability and durability to enable detection of subtle pressure/force changes associated with movement and health conditions—has been developed. These new sensors open the door to applications for monitoring the health of those with chronic diseases.

Intelligent snake-like robots are the next generation of surgical robots that will bring less invasive surgery and better outcomes to patients.

Creating technologies to build a human interface to artificial touch sensors that is non-invasive, robust, cost-effective, and safe. The technology could be applied to restore touch to amputees with a prosthetic hand or make early diagnosis of nerve damage resulting from chemotherapy or diabetes.

Developing algorithms to automatically adjust heart pumps to respond to changes in patient state.

Developing wearable technology for detecting falls in older people in order to reduce the risk of lying undiscovered for a long period. This wearable technology can be adapted into smart phones and smart watches, and forms part of a holistic approach to aged care.

Pioneered the development of visual neuroprostheses (Bionic Eyes) in Australia. With half a dozen patents and several new disruptive neural interface technologies that make the device significantly more functional and novel than competitive technologies. A pre-clinical prototype has been developed.

A cross-disciplinary research environment dedicated to understanding how humans can interact with three-dimensional robotic agents and responsive structures within the context of creative and social robotics.